Man arrested after wrestling with two deputies

A man accused of OVWI is also facing felony charges of intimidation and battery with bodily injury to law enforcement officers after he tangled with two deputies who responded to a domestic situation.

Gerald D. Pirtle III

Gerald D. Pirtle III, 35, was arrested late Sunday, September 22, by Deputy Alan Jackson of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department. The jail record listed Pirtle with a home address in Lyons. The court record lists Pirtle with a home address in Dugger.

GCSD Deputy Jackson, the investigating officer, responded along with GCSD Deputy David Elmore to a residence on West County Road 500 North after a caller said Pirtle was outside the residence threatening their family.

When the deputies arrived and talked to the woman who made the call and Pirtle, who was outside the home, they learned Pirtle and his wife were in the midst of marital difficulty and Pirtle went to the residence to speak to her but it didn’t go well.

Deputy Jackson reported that Pirtle showed signs of intoxication, admitted that he had driven a motorcycle to the residence and on the scene, failed standard field sobriety testing and refused to take a portable breath test.

Deputy Jackson also reported that at times during the field testing, Pirtle was uncooperative and when Deputy Elmore attempted to detain him, Pirtle pulled away and tried to hit the deputy then continued to resist being taken into custody. A struggle ensued between Pirtle and both deputies. Deputy Jackson reported that Pirtle was pushing, hitting and kicking. According to Jackson, Pirtle briefly had one deputy in a choke hold and hit him in the mouth causing a laceration to his lip, and the other deputy sustained abrasions to his knees.

Sgt. Brian Pilant of the Jasonville Police Department and Sgt. Logan Hobbs of the Linton Police Department then arrived on the scene to assist along with the Greene County EMS who medically cleared Pirtle before he was transported to jail.

Once at the sheriff’s department, a search warrant was approved and a blood sample was obtained – results pending.   

When Pirtle appeared in Greene Superior Court for an initial hearing yesterday, Wednesday, September 25, he was formally charged with:

• Operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a Class C misdemeanor,

• Battery with bodily injury to a public safety officer, a Level 5 felony,

• Intimidation, a Level 6 felony,

• Intimidation – draws or uses a deadly weapon, a Level 5 felony, and

• Battery with bodily injury to a public safety officer, a Level 5 felony.

Pirtle’s bond was set at $35,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed. As of Thursday, September 26, he had not yet posted bond and remained in jail.