A Bloomfield man arrested over the weekend is accused of threatening to kill a woman during a domestic dispute. The two were in a physical altercation when he allegedly started shooting the walls in a bedroom.

Eric Von Peterson, 44, Bloomfield, was arrested by Deputy Marshal Brittany Ingram of the Bloomfield Police Department early Sunday, October 11.

Deputy Marshal Ingram, the investigating officer, was dispatched at 2:40 a.m. last Sunday to a residence on South Seminary Street in Bloomfield where Eric Von Peterson was reported to have fired a gun in an active domestic situation.

In addition to Officer Ingram, Sgt. Bobby Pierce and Deputy Davis Aerne of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department and Deputy Marshal Ryan Montgomery of the Worthington Police Department also responded.

With Officers Ingram and Montgomery in the front of the house, and Sgt. Pierce and Deputy Aerne in the back, Peterson was asked to exit the house. He came to the back door and began speaking with Sgt. Pierce, but would not leave the house. There was a woman and her juvenile child inside and during the conversation, Sgt. Pierce was able to have them exit the residence while he continued to speak to Peterson.

Once the woman and juvenile were outside, Officer Ingram was able to talk to them about what had occurred, while Sgt. Pierce continued the contact with Peterson. Following Officer Ingram’s interview, Peterson was taken into custody and transported by Officer Montgomery to the Greene County Jail where he was booked in at 5:12 a.m.

According to a probable cause affidavit prepared by Officer Ingram, Peterson, the alleged victim and the juvenile lived in the house and earlier that night, Peterson and the victim had been to a party in Worthington where Peterson had been drinking alcohol. After they returned home and were in their bedroom, there was a disagreement that escalated into a physical fight. The woman said they were on the floor fighting and she was trying to get away when Peterson moved to where she knew there was a gun.

Peterson is accused of grabbing the gun, pointing it at the woman while saying he was going to kill her. Peterson allegedly then started shooting, firing the gun into multiple walls in the bedroom before he set the gun down and physically attacked her again. She said when he went toward the gun again, she flung the mattress on top of him to slow him down then ran from the room. She and the juvenile were going to get out, but then she saw the police vehicles outside the house.

During an interview with the juvenile, Officer Ingram learned the juvenile was asleep but woke up due to the noise from the argument. She could hear the woman crying. The juvenile contacted a family friend to have them call 911 because she was afraid if she called, Peterson would hear her and come after her. The juvenile then stood outside the woman’s bedroom door and recorded the incident.

After Peterson was arrested, the woman gave consent for the residence to be searched.

Officer Ingram reported that during the search, officers found three .22 caliber casings in the bedroom along with a Ruger .22 pistol in the firing position, with the safety off, with a round in the chamber and four rounds in the magazine. They also located two shotguns in the room.

In addition, officers found multiple bullet holes in the bedroom walls along with a bullet hole through a closet door where the bullet entered the closet then entered a wall separating the bedroom where the altercation occurred and the bedroom where the juvenile had been sleeping. A bullet was located inside the closet. They also reported signs of a struggle in the bedroom.

Peterson declined to speak to Officer Ingram.

Peterson was initially held without bond pending court appearance.

Earlier today, Peterson appeared in Greene Superior Court for his initial hearing and was charged with:

Domestic battery, a Class A misdemeanor,
Criminal recklessness – shoots a firearm into a building, a Level 5 felony,
Intimidation, with a deadly weapon, a Level 5 felony, and
Pointing a firearm at another, a Level 6 felony.

His bond was set at $25,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed, but he has not posted bond in this case and remains in jail – he’s also being held in another case.

Peterson has another case pending against him involving charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated and resisting law enforcement. He was out on bond while waiting for the case to conclude. But earlier today, a petition to revoke that bond was filed and a warrant issued for his arrest – in this case, he’s being held without bond.