When a juvenile said they were afraid to go home because of physical abuse, a Linton officer listened, conducted interviews, and arrested a suspect.

Roland Kenneth Wade, Jr., 70, Jasonville, was arrested by Officer John Agan of the Linton Police Department last Saturday night, June 27, following Officer Agan’s investigation into accusations of abusive behavior.

Officer Agan and LPD Officer Janzen Franklin were dispatched to a residence in Linton at 7:19 p.m. on Saturday, June 27, on a complaint about a juvenile.

When they arrived outside the residence, Wade was there and informed Officer Agan that he and his wife had adopted a child in their family, under the age of 14. Wade lives in Jasonville but explained the juvenile had stayed overnight at that residence in Linton. He said he was there to pick the juvenile up, but they were refusing to leave.

When Officer Agan talked to the juvenile, they told him they were afraid to leave with Wade, basically due to previous acts of physical violence against them by Wade.

The juvenile was transported to the police department for an interview and Wade agreed to go get his wife and then go to the police department for interviews.

During the interview, the juvenile said there have been many altercations with Wade and she described some in detail. Officer Agan included those details in a probable cause affidavit, alleging Wade is verbally abusive and has hit, kicked, pushed and choked the juvenile in various incidents.

When Wade’s wife was interviewed, the wife allegedly substantiated the juvenile’s claims and said she witnessed the incidents detailed by the juvenile.

When Wade was interviewed, he described the juvenile as often confrontational, rebellious and disrespectful. He said he doesn’t like his buttons being pushed. He said the juvenile is sometimes verbally abusive, calls him derogatory names and he has told them they were not going to talk to him like that. Officer Agan’s affidavit indicates Wade was cooperative, denied some of the specific details of the juvenile’s accusations, but confirmed the incidents had occurred and he did not deny all of the details.

Wade was taken into custody and booked into the Greene County Jail at 11:40 p.m. His bond was set at $14,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed. He posted $1,400 and was released sometime the next day.

Wade is facing preliminary charges of strangulation, a Level 6 felony, and domestic battery with bodily injury to a person under the age of 14, a Level 5 felony.

Wade is scheduled to appear in Greene Superior Court for an initial hearing early on July 23.