Warrick County Sheriff Mike Wilder said a use-of-force review by the his office determined deputies’ actions during Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith’s Wednesday evening town hall in Newburgh were consistent with the agency’s policies.
Wilder disclosed the review’s findings in a lengthy statement Friday afternoon. It comes after deputies working for Beckwith’s security detail arrested two town hall attendees as the gathering devolved into argumentative spats between Beckwith and a portion of his audience at the Ohio Township Trustee’s Office.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, Amanda Bennett, 38, stands accused of pushing one of the deputies as she made her way toward an exit after being directed to vacate the premises for repeatedly shouting at the lieutenant governor.
In the Friday statement, Wilder wrote that Bennett “spun around on the officer, began yelling at him and pushed him in the chest.”
A second town hall attendee, identified in court records as 40-year-old Matthew Eike, allegedly shouted at and pushed a bystander amidst the ensuing chaos, court records state.
In a public Facebook post published Wednesday night prior to the issuance of any official statements or the filing of any sworn court documents, Beckwith accused Bennett of slapping a deputy.
Bennett, who was jailed but later released on bond, faces four counts, including felony battery on a public safety official. Eike, who likewise has since been released from the Warrick County jail, is charged with resisting law enforcement and two counts of disorderly conduct, all misdemeanors.
In his written statement, Wilder said his office “respects everyone’s right to assemble, debate, protest, support or disagree with public officials” but that “engagement should occur in a civil manner regardless of political views.”
“Many of the participants on Wednesday night were emotional and disagreed with the lieutenant governor, and yet they expressed those views in a civil way and with due respect for the rights of other persons participating,” Wilder wrote. “They showed that it is possible to exercise Constitutional rights and expressions of disagreement without disrupting the same rights of others in attendance.”
“Sadly, the evening ended with confrontation and arrests,” Wilder added.
Arrests came after heated exchanges between Bennett, audience and Beckwith
According to Wilder and court documents, two off-duty deputies agreed to work for Beckwith’s security detail Wednesday evening after it became clear none of the on-duty deputies’ schedules would allow for them to attend the town hall, which began at 6:30 p.m.
One of the off-duty deputies, Sgt. Thomas Rohl, wrote in sworn arrest affidavits that Bennett was taken into custody after she was ordered to leave.
As Bennett left her seat, she could be heard saying, “this is f—ing bulls–t.” She then pointed at Beckwith and said, “F— you, Micah Beckwith,” whom she also called a “bitch.”
Beckwith told the crowd Bennett had a “mental disorder” as she continued toward the doors. Throughout the gathering, audience members repeatedly shouted at Beckwith, who appeared to enjoy the verbal sparring.
Bennett continued toward an exit of her own accord, Rohl wrote, but “began causing a disturbance” while enroute.
“Deputy (Dan) Bullock and I moved along the outside of the chairs to intercept (Bennett) to ensure she left without further issues,” Rohl wrote. “As (Bennett) reached the foyer, I observed her turn toward Deputy Bullock, who then escorted her to the ground.”
Bullock, atop Bennett, handcuffed her as she lay on her stomach as onlookers gathered around. Attendees whipped out cell phones to record the tumult.
Rohl alleged that Eike “pulled away” and “actively resisted” being taken into custody during the ensuing commotion. Rohl accused Eike of “aggressively speaking” to a fellow constituent, whom Rohl said Eike appeared to “push.”
Surveillance footage, according to Rohl, allegedly showed Bennett pushing Bullock before he took her into custody.
The Warrick County Sheriff’s Office declined a Courier & Press request to release the surveillance footage, instead referring requests to the Ohio Township Trustee’s Office. The Courier & Press requested the footage from the trustee’s office pursuant to Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act.
Wilder says arrests were consistent with policy
Beckwith’s town hall in Newburgh wasn’t the first gathering hosted by the lieutenant governor to turn confrontational in recent weeks. A similar event in Zionsville, Indiana, on May 27 featured plenty of back-and-forth between Beckwith and some of his gathered constituents.
Beckwith told the roughly 100 attendees that if they “shoot little snide remarks” at him he “might just shoot them right back.” The Indiana Capitol Chronicle reported that more than two-dozen protesters gathered outside.
Even as many Republican official shirk from uncontrolled public gatherings and town halls amidst Democratic furor at President Donald Trump’s aggressive overhaul of the federal government, Beckwith maintains that such gatherings foster positive public discourse.
“While I appreciate and welcome lively debate, unfortunately, there were individuals with less than good intentions (who) resorted to uncivil conduct against each other and law enforcement,” Beckwith wrote Wednesday night with regard to the Newburgh town hall.
Wilder said Friday he, along with his command staff and an unnamed “defensive tactics instructor,” conducted a use-of-force review and determined Bennett’s arrest was consistent with office policy.
“The sheriff and other deputies reviewing the incident concluded (Bullock) used the amount of force appropriate and necessary to secure the arrest of Amanda Bennett,” the statement reads. “The investigation produced no evidence of any policy or procedure violation by the deputy involved in that arrest. No further action is anticipated.”
Wilder added that his office would “continue to reflect and learn from this event.”
“I hope we can all conclude that it’s possible to disagree on important issues without resorting to obscene shouts, raised voices and intruding on the rights of others to participate and be heard,” Wilder stated. “I hope they will also conclude that it’s possible to protest passionately without assaulting a law enforcement officer trying to do his job.”
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Sheriff: Review finds no wrongdoing by deputies at Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith’s town hall
Reporting by Houston Harwood, Evansville Courier & Press / Evansville Courier & Press
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