(This story was updated to add new information.)
The release of a 39-year-old man connected to a home explosion that rocked the city of Washington on Mother’s Day has been delayed as Tazewell County Jail officers figure out how to best put a GPS monitor on him.
Scott Tyler Benway, 39, of Washington, has been arrested and charged with attempted first degree murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm and residential arson, according to the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Department.
During a hearing Tuesday in Tazewell County Circuit Court, Benway was set to be released on conditions due to health issues stemming from the explosion when pre-trial services informed prosecutors with the Tazewell County State’s Attorney’s Office that they didn’t have a way to put a GPS monitor on him due to him being covered in casts on his ankles and wrists.
Tazewell County Circuit Judge Chris Doscotch said that he would remain in custody until the GPS issue was solved, preventing him from being held in home confinement with his mother for the time being. His mother had been named as a third-party custodian during Tuesday’s hearing and was willing to meet the conditions of his release, including ensuring that he took his medication and didn’t have anything that could cause a flame in her Morton home.
Washington’s Mother’s Day explosion
An affidavit provided by the Tazewell County Circuit Clerk’s Office said that on May 10 at 12:31 a.m., Benway called 911 to report a dead body or someone cooking meth at a home in the 900 block of Mallard Way, adjacent to his home. During this call, Benway spoke of secret societies, cartels, meth labs and broader community corruption.
Benway told dispatchers that a similar situation was taking place at a home in East Peoria and said that his father or his wife could be dead. Later, he told dispatchers that if police arrived at his home, he would not respond, believing them to be part of the cartel.
One minute after he called 911, Washington police arrived at his home to conduct a welfare check. He hung up on the dispatcher after acknowledging the arrival of the police. He did not answer the door, and officers noticed a man opening the blinds while wearing a ski masks and mumbling unintelligible words.
Police tried to call Benway several times, but he continued his claims that they were a cartel and wouldn’t speak with any medical professionals.
Additional officers from Washington, East Peoria and the Illinois State Police responded to the home at 4:32 a.m. after receiving a report that multiple gunshots had been fired. They began evacuating other residents and established a perimeter around his home.
Police called Benway once again, with him telling officers that the situation would “end poorly” before he hung up. Shortly thereafter, police heard several additional rounds coming from the residence. Benway moved between multiple windows, the inside of the residence and the back porch before firing multiple rounds in the direction of police officers, according to court documents.
One officer returned fire, forcing him to return to the residence. He was then heard firing multiple rounds inside the garage.
One officer was injured in the shootout. At 5:43 a.m., an explosion occurred at the multi-unit building, causing “catastrophic damage” to the residence and surrounding buildings. All residents of the building were displaced.
Benway was eventually taken into custody after leaving the destroyed townhome and transported to OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center for treatment. Investigators later found at least one loaded rifle magazine and a pistol, according to court documents.
Investigators with the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal also found a propane tank in his garage with “suspected defects,” believed to have been caused by someone discharging a firearm into the tank.
Illinois State Police are investigating the officer-involved shooting. The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal and the Washington Fire Department will investigate the fire.
Arraignment for Benway has been set for June 4 at 10 a.m.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Court documents reveal details into Washington explosion, shootout
Reporting by JJ Bullock and Zach Roth, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
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