Sheriff suspends, demotes 3 deputies who didn’t detain man later fatally shot
COLUMBUS, Ind. (WISH) — The Bartholomew County sheriff said Monday he has suspended three deputies after learning they failed to earlier this month to properly serve an emergency detention order to a man who later was shot in someone else’s home.
Lt. Gary Knoef, Sgt. Jason Lancaster and Sgt. Jason Williams have each been suspended 15 days without pay for their roles in the failure to detain Derek Henderson. They will also be demoted. Knoef will return to his position as a merit sergeant. Lancaster and Williams will return to their positions as merit patrolmen.
Hendricks was shot and killed Jan. 4 after he used a baseball bat to confront a homeowner in his home around 1 a.m. The sheriff has not identified the homeowner, who lived in the 2000 block of Home Avenue, just a few blocks south of Columbus North High School.
An emergency detention order issued Jan. 3 directed any police officer to detain Henderson for emergency treatment for the health and safety of himself and others.
Deputies found Henderson in his home, but he refused to leave or allow the deputies to enter. The deputies left and made no additional attempts to serve the order on Henderson.
The Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that deputies are trained to avoid escalating matters involving a mental health order, but the deputies who approached Henderson had other options available.
The statement also said, “One of the biggest challenges facing police officers nationwide, is the challenge of policing the mentally ill. Mental illness varies in nature and severity, and each situation encountered by officers will be unique. Ongoing training is necessary to adequately address this challenge. Acknowledging this need, Sheriff Myers and two members of his leadership team had previously committed to attending the Indiana Sheriff’s Association’s Winter Meeting at the end of January where mental health issues and training will be discussed and studied.
“Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers and his Office extends its deepest sympathies and sincere condolences to the families and friends affected by these tragic events.”
