One man’s 4th of July started with too much pickle moonshine. Then he got hold of a handgun, an AR-15 and a large amount of ammunition and took off on an ORV which he crashed twice, in one case leaving the AR-15 and the ammunition scattered on a roadway in eastern Greene County. That's just part of the story which ended with a trip to the Greene County Jail.

Zachary A. Pence was arrested by Indiana Conservation Officer Cole Hollingsworth on the 4th of July. Pence, 36 at the time of his arrest, now 37, was listed in records with a home address in Pittsboro, Indiana, but he was living at a residence in eastern Greene County at the time of his arrest.

ICO Hollingsworth was dispatched a little after 6:00 PM on Monday, July 4, when Greene County Dispatch got a call about an intoxicated man who had crashed an ORV (Off Road Vehicle) on East Chapel Road.

According to Pence’s wife, Pence had been drinking moonshine all day, including an entire jar of pickle moonshine and half a jar of blue flame moonshine. And then he got upset because a child had missed getting some toilet paper into the toilet and his wife had failed to pick it up. He then got into his wife's gun safe and got out a handgun and an AR-15 style rifle before getting on the ORV and taking off.

Pence allegedly crashed the ORV in front of another residence on East Chapel Road but was able to drive ORV back home where he then wrecked it a second time.

When ICO Hollingsworth arrived on the scene he saw a maroon Yamaha Grizzly ORV, with an expired registration, parked in the front yard with a large section of metal fence wrapped up in the front bumper.

ICO Hollingsworth was provided with photos of the first crash scene which showed several hundred rounds of ammunition scattered all over the roadway. He also observed the AR-15 which was damaged in the crash - the muzzle was damaged when it impacted the roadway. Pence allegedly left the AR-15 and the ammunition in the roadway when he drove the ORV back home and told his wife he had flipped the ORV and her guns were in the road. Then he left the house again, got back on the ORV and allegedly wrecked it into the ditch directly across from their home. Pence allegedly ran off into the woods after the second crash but then a neighbor across the street from the home saw Pence walking around in his backyard which is where ICO Hollingsworth and Deputy Michael Coy of the Greene County Sheriff's Department found Pence, soaking wet and covered in dirt and mud. They reported Pence was unable to keep his balance and was swaying back and forth. ICO Hollingsworth reported Pence was saying all kinds of things that he did not even ask about. Pence was unable to say how old he was and he was slurring his speech.

Pence allegedly said he ran all over the place and swam a couple of times in a pond because that's what he always does when he thinks someone is following him. The handgun he allegedly took was missing and when ICO Hollingsworth asked if the handgun might be in the pond, Pence said he never had the handgun. When asked about the rifle, Pence said that fell off the ORV because he was getting it away from his wife. Pence also explained that ammunition was spilling all over the road during the first crash. When asked why he wrecked the ORV, Pence said he never wrecked it. He said it started getting squirrelly and it just shot the ammunition all over.

Pence refused to take a portable breath test and refused a chemical test. He was transported to IU Health Bloomington Hospital and a search warrant for a blood draw was approved but while there, Pence became very upset and ICO Hollingsworth reported Pence was trying to ram his head into the wall after one of the nurses mentioned a blood draw, which was obtained with assistance from multiple personnel at the hospital.

Hospital staff performed several tests on Pence before granting him medical clearance for incarceration. He was then transported to the Greene County Jail where he was booked in at 11:40 PM.

The next day when ICO Hollingsworth interviewed other witnesses, one who saw the first crash said Pence was yelling while on the ORV and she could hear him yelling profanities when it crashed and quit running. She said he started it back up and drove off and her husband then saw a large box of ammunition and several hundred rounds of rifle and pistol ammunition along with an AR-15 rifle with damage to the muzzle. She also said shortly after the crash, cars started stopping on the roadway. Neighbors cleaned up all the ammunition that was scattered on the road.

A criminal history report on Pence revealed he had been convicted of dealing in a Schedule I controlled substance in 2015 in Hendricks County and the Hendricks County Prosecutor confirmed that Pence is considered a serious violent felon and is prohibited from possessing a firearm.

After his initial hearing this week in Greene Superior Court, Pence posted bond and was released.

Pence has been charged with:

Unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, a Level 4 felony,
Operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person, a Class A misdemeanor, and
Leaving the scene of an accident, a Class B misdemeanor.