A Washington man accused of attempted murder and arson in an incident that led to a large explosion on Mother’s Day morning will be held at the Tazewell County Jail until trial after his attorney conceded detention Wednesday.
Scott T. Benway, 39, conceded detention without prejudice during a Wednesday hearing in Tazewell County Circuit Court, just one day after his planned release was delayed until officials at the jail could figure out how to get a GPS monitor on him. Health issues stemming from the explosion led to an agreement by prosecutors and Benway’s attorneys to release him on conditions, a proposal that lasted less than one day before conceding detention.
Benway had been charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm and residential arson in an incident on May 10. He is accused of shooting at police officers responding to a report of multiple gunshots fired at a home in a multi-unit complex in the 900 block of Mallard Way in Washington.
Police officers fired back before the home exploded and became engulfed in flames, leading to Benway’s hospitalization at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria.
An affidavit provided by the Tazewell County Circuit Clerk’s Office said that Benway called 911 at 12:31 a.m. on May 10 to report a dead body or someone cooking meth at an adjacent home. During the call, he spoke of secret societies, cartels, meth labs and broader community corruption.
Benway told dispatchers that a similar situation was occurring at a home in East Peoria, saying that his father or his wife could be dead. He later told dispatchers that he would not respond if police arrived at his home, believing them to be members of a cartel.
Washington police initially arrived at Benway’s home one minute after he called dispatch to conduct a welfare check. Benway hung up once the officers arrived at the home, but didn’t answer the door and officers saw a man through the blinds of the windows wearing a ski mask and mumbling unintelligible words.
Police tried calling Benway several times, but he continued claiming they were part of a cartel and wouldn’t speak with any medical professionals, according to court records.
Other law enforcement agencies arrived at the home at 4:32 a.m. after they had received a report of shots fired at the scene. They began evacuating other residents in adjacent homes in the complex and established a perimeter around his home.
Police tried one more time to call Benway, but he said that the situation would “end poorly” for them before he hung up the phone. Shortly thereafter, additional rounds of gunfire were heard from inside the home. Benway was seen moving between multiple windows and the inside of the residence before coming to the back porch and firing multiple rounds in the direction of police officers, according to court documents.
One of the officers returned fire, forcing him to return to the residence. He is accused of then firing multiple rounds inside his garage. One officer was injured in the shootout.
At 5:43 a.m., an explosion occurred at the building, causing “catastrophic damage” to the home and the surrounding buildings. All residents of the multi-unit complex were displaced.
After he left his destroyed home, Benway was taken into custody and transported to OSF for treatment. Investigators found at least one loaded rifle magazine and a pistol, with investigators from the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal also discovering a propane tank with “suspected defects” believed to have been caused by someone discharging a firearm into the tank.
Benway’s arraignment remains set for June 4 at 10 a.m.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Washington man will stay detained before trial after explosion, shootout
Reporting by Zach Roth, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
