Combative man hiding in bushes, with a long rifle, accused of threats to kill three LPD officers

Andrew C. Damron

When three officers responded to a complaint about a disorderly man walking in a yard in Linton late at night, they reported an encounter with a screaming, yelling and uncooperative man. They left when the situation seemed to be under control, but were called  back – the man allegedly had threatened a woman with a knife. By the time he was incarcerated in the Greene County Jail, he had allegedly kicked one officer, fought with all three and threatened to kill them all.

Andrew Charles Damron, 24, Linton, is facing four felony and three misdemeanor counts including:

• Three counts of intimidation involving a threat to certain types of people, all are Level 6 felonies,
• Battery against a public safety official, a Level 6 felony,
• Two counts of resisting law enforcement, both are Class A misdemeanors, and
• Battery resulting in bodily injury, a Class A misdemeanor.     

The incident with Damron, which began late last Wednesday night, June 27, then continued early Thursday, June 28, is detailed in a probable cause affidavit prepared by Officer John Agan of the Linton Police Department.

When the call came in about a man walking in a yard in the area of 8th Street SW and ‘A’ Street SW, Agan responded along with LPD Officers Nick Yingling and Orry Phipps.

Agan said he recognized Damron and thought he was heavily intoxicated. When he told Damron he needed to talk to him, Damron said he did not wish to talk to Agan, turned his back on the officer and quickly walked away. Agan lost sight of Damron but he and Yingling located him at a residence on 8th Street SW. Yingling tried to talk to him but Agan said Damron was very angry, uncooperative, screaming and yelling.

A woman then arrived, said she was Damron’s girlfriend, told him he should go home and go to bed, and the two of them walked to their residence, also on 8th Street.

That could have been the end of this story but the officers’ cars were parked there and when they walked back to them, Damron started yelling. He was told to go inside his residence. He did, but they said they heard him yelling and knocking things over inside the house. Another family member told the officers he would keep Damron calm for the night. The officers left.

They were called back later, to the residence where Damron had been wandering before. A woman who resided there said he was back, and allegedly had hit her in the throat and pulled a knife and charged at her. She said another man who was there stepped in front of Damron to prevent Damron from moving toward her.

When Damron saw the patrol cars coming back, he took off running. They located him but he kept running, then they located him hiding in some bushes. Officer Phipps told him to come out more than once, and he did, but according to Agan, Damron said he was going to kill Officer Phipps.

Then he started fighting with all three officers, and said he was going to kill Officer Yingling.

He was taken into custody despite banging his head on the window of a patrol vehicle and kicking. During a pat-down, he was found to be in possession of two pocket knives and a box of 17 mm HMR ammunition. When Officer Phipps searched the area where Damron had been hiding, he found a long rifle.

Agan transported Damron to Greene County General Hospital for a medical check, but Agan wrote that during the ride to the hospital, Damron said he was going to break a window out so Agan rolled the window down to prevent Damron from banging the window with his head. Agan said Damron then told him he was going to kill him and started kicking at him from the back seat.

They made it to the hospital but as Agan and Phipps were walking Damron into the building, Damron kicked Agan in the leg and started to fight with Phipps. Damron was medically cleared then transported to jail, but Agan wrote that throughout the time at the hospital and the trip to GCSD, Damron was combative and continued making threats to kill him.

Damron was booked in around 1:45 a.m. on Thursday, June 28.

His bond was set at $27,500 surety with ten percent allowed.

He is scheduled to appear in Greene Superior Court for his initial hearing early Tuesday morning.