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Greencastle man held on $50,000 bond following standoff
A 44-year-old Greencastle man arrested following a Jan. 9 pursuit and a standoff at his southeast side home is being held on $50,000 cash-only bond after his initial hearing in court Wednesday.
Superior Court Judge Denny Bridges entered a not-guilty plea on behalf of Darrell L. Goff, 54 Cedarwood Drive, who is facing five felony counts and a habitual offender enhancement that could put him behind bars for as many as 32 years.
Charges filed against Goff by the Putnam County Prosecutor’s Office include Level 4 felony unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, Level 5 felony criminal recklessness/shooting a firearm into a building, Level 6 felony pointing a firearm at another, Level 6 felony neglect of a dependent and Level 6 felony resisting law enforcement with a vehicle.
Prosecutor Tim Bookwalter also filed for a habitual offender enhancement, enumerating four previous felony convictions against Goff, including:
• June 2008: Class D felony theft, Hendricks Superior Court;
• July 2011: Class C felony alteration of handgun identifying marks, Marion County Superior Court;
• Aug. 2016: Level 4 felony possession of methamphetamine, Putnam Superior Court; and
• Feb. 2021: Level 6 felony possession of methamphetamine, Putnam Superior Court.
Represented by attorney Eddie Felling, Goff was given a pretrial conference date of March 13 at 1:30 p.m. A bond review hearing will also be set.
Goff was remanded to the custody of the Putnam County Jail.
The Jan. 9 incident unfolded as Indiana State Trooper Austin Fowler attempted to perform a traffic stop because a headlight was out on Goff’s truck as he approached Mount Meridian on U.S. 40. However, the suspect instead fled north onto County Road 510 East and the pursuit made its way northwest toward Greencastle.
It was during the pursuit that video footage reportedly shows the driver extending his arm from his vehicle and firing a shot in the direction of Fowler’s vehicle.
The pursuit eventually came to a stop in front of Goff’s home in the Woods Edge subdivision. Court records indicate upon arriving at the scene, Goff pointed his firearm directly at Fowler before later entering the home.
As Goff exited the vehicle, he said, “There is a child in the car.” The eight-year-old exited the vehicle and was secured and taken to a safe location.
Goff then barricaded himself inside the home and a four-hour standoff ensued.
At approximately 11:40 p.m., Indiana State Police SWAT team, using non-lethal tactical techniques, got Goff to surrender within a few minutes.