PORTLAND, IN — A Portland man accused of grabbing a Jay County sheriff deputy’s gun had a few minutes earlier demanded to be arrested for sexually abusing a juvenile, according to court documents.
In an affidavit, Tony Lennartz, a lieutenant with the Jay County Sheriff’s Department, reported Michael Shawn Sargent, 44, went to the sheriff’s office on Wednesday, April 29, to report he had sexually abused a pre-teen girl in in 2013 or 2014.
Sargent said the victim in the case is now an adult and lives out of state.
Lennartz reported Sargent’s account of the sexual abuse was “very vague” and that he “wanted to go to jail.”
“I informed Michael that that we could not simply place him in jail and that there is a legal process that must be followed,” Lennartz wrote.
The lieutenant said he contacted the prosecutor’s office and Portland police about Sargent’s claims and told the Portland man he would be interviewed by a city police investigator the following day.
Lennartz said he agreed to give Sargent — who had “again insisted on going to jail” — a ride home and was walking out of the office when “Michael suddenly jumped onto my back and placed his right hand on my gun holster.”
During the ensuing struggle, Sargent — described as “extremely strong and aggressive” — briefly gained control of Lennartz’s handgun and pulled its trigger, discharging one round, which did not strike the lieutenant or Sheriff Ray Newton, who had joined in the effort to subdue Sargent.
Newton directed pepper spray into Sargent’s face, “reducing his resistance,” the affidavit said.
During the struggle, Lennartz and Newton suffered minor injuries including cuts, carpet burns and bruising, according to the court documents.
“Based on Michael’s actions, I believe he would have attempted to use my firearm against us if he had gained full control of it,” the lieutenant wrote.
Sargent has been charged in Jay Circuit Court with disarming a law enforcement officer, battery resulting in bodily injury to a public safety officer, criminal recklessness and resisting law enforcement. He continues to be held in the Jay County Jail.
According to court records, Sargent — formerly of Dunkirk — has been convicted of crimes including battery resulting in bodily injury, driving after a lifetime suspension, driving while intoxicated, dealing in marijuana and resisting law enforcement.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Affidavit: Man who took deputy’s gun had demanded arrest for molesting
Reporting by Douglas Walker, Muncie Star Press / Muncie Star Press
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