One man is dead and one man is in custody following a fatal stabbing incident in Linton on Wednesday night. Linton Police Chief Troy Jerrell said LPD Detective Paul Clark is leading the investigation assisted by LPD Sgt. Logan Hobbs and other officers from the LPD and Greene County Sheriff’s Department.

The investigation began when a call came in to LPD Dispatch sometime around 9-10 p.m. to report the incident and request help for the injured victim on Thanksgiving Eve, Wednesday, November 21.

Chief Jerrell reported the victim had been stabbed and was bleeding heavily when officers and rescue personnel arrived at a location in the northwest area of Linton.

The injured man, Scott White of Linton, was alive when he was transported by the Greene County Ambulance Service to Greene County General Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Jerrell confirmed that family members have been notified.   

A person of interest was detained on the scene and is in jail.

Andrew Charles Damron, 24, of Linton, was taken into custody and transported to the Greene County Jail where he was booked in at 1:30 a.m. on Thursday by GCSD Jail Officer Steve Dobson.

As of Thursday, Damron was not being held on any preliminary charges in connection with the stabbing incident but he had a warrant out for his arrest and is being held without bond on that warrant.

What else do we know?

Few details about the incident have been released and few are expected over the holiday weekend.

The Linton Police Department is the lead investigating agency. LPD Det. Paul Clark is the lead investigating officer, assisted by LPD Sgt. Logan Hobbs.

Greene County Prosecutor Jarrod Holtsclaw is involved in the investigation and other officers from the Linton Police Department and the Greene County Sheriff’s Department are also assisting.

The Indiana State Police is expected to join the investigation to assist with evidence processing and forensics.

The incident occurred outside a residence in the northwest area of Linton. Police have talked to at least one witness to the incident.

Additional details will likely be released next week. Since the person of interest is being held without bond on a warrant, preliminary charges in connection with the stabbing are unlikely over the weekend, but may be filed next week.

As of Thursday afternoon, Chief Jerrell is calling this a “death investigation” and named Damron as a “person of interest.”

Charging decisions are made by the Greene County Prosecutor.

Background of person of interest

Damron was accused of causing a ruckus in a Linton neighborhood in late June. He allegedly kicked an officer and threatened to kill three officers.

Damron was arrested early Thursday, June 28, and booked into the Greene County Jail where his bond was set at $27,500 with ten percent allowed. Damron did not post bond and remained in jail until his case was concluded and he’d served his time.

He was charged with four felonies and two 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 Class A misdemeanors, and

• Battery resulting in bodily injury, a Class A misdemeanor.    

The charges resulted from an incident that began late Wednesday night, June 27, then continued early Thursday, June 28, investigated by Officer John Agan of the Linton Police Department.

When three LPD officers, John Agan, Nick Yingling and Orry Phipps, responded to a complaint about a disorderly man walking in a yard in Linton late that night, they reported an encounter with a screaming, yelling and uncooperative man - Damron. They left when the situation seemed to be under control, but were called  back – because Damron 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.

During a pat-down, Damron was found to be in possession of two pocket knives and ammunition. Officers found a long rifle hidden in bushes where Damron had been hiding at one point.

Damron later entered into a negotiated plea agreement and was convicted and sentenced in a hearing on Thursday, August 16.

He pleaded guilty to one count of intimidation, a Level 6 felony, and to battery resulting in bodily injury, a Class A misdemeanor. The other counts were dismissed.

Damron was sentenced on the two counts and the sentences were to be served consecutively or one after the other.

On the count of intimidation, he was sentenced to two years in the Greene County Jail with one year and 185 days suspended, and he was given credit for 50 days already served.

On the count of battery, he was sentenced to 60 days in the Greene County Jail.

On both counts, he could serve his time on work release as long as he was eligible and following his release, he would serve time on probation. (Editor’s Note: Over this holiday weekend, I’m unable to determine if Damron did serve any time on work release or served all his time in jail.)

But while Damron was serving his time in jail on the felony intimidation and misdemeanor battery resulting in bodily injury, Damron was accused of another incident that occurred inside the jail.

A new criminal case was filed against Damron on Thursday, November 1, following an investigation by Det. James O’Malley of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department that began in the afternoon of Saturday, October 27, when an inmate used the jail’s intercom system to report he’d been hit in the face by Damron.

Det. O’Malley responded and reported the inmate was transported to Greene County General Hospital for treatment. A laceration outside and inside his mouth required sutures on the left side of his face and more sutures on the inside of his mouth on the left side to close the wound.

O’Malley reviewed video from the jail’s video surveillance system and said the video showed Damron throwing packs of butter at the inmate while the inmate was asleep on his bed. The inmate then got up and approached Damron who then hit the inmate in the face with a closed fist. O’Malley said the inmate did not retaliate but instead contacted jail staff.

During an interview, Damron allegedly admitted he threw the butter packs at the inmate and that he hit him with a closed fist. But Damron also claimed the inmate had spit on him.

During an interview with the inmate, the inmate said he’d been continuously harassed by Damron for weeks, that Damron had called him names and had thrown food at him several times.

When Damron appeared in Greene Superior Court for an initial hearing in this case, he was charged with battery resulting in bodily injury, a Level 6 felony, and this case is still pending.

At some recent point, Damron completed serving his time in the first case and was released from custody.

Damron was then on probation in the case of felony intimidation but on Tuesday, November 13, the Greene County Probation Department filed a petition to revoke his suspended sentence and a warrant was issued for his arrest the next day. He hadn’t been picked up yet when the Thanksgiving Eve stabbing occurred.

It’s on this warrant that Damron is now being held without bond.