UPDATE: The case against William Lacer has since been dismissed and a criminal case filed against the officer who is accused of false informing.

When an LPD officer responded to a Sunday night report of a man in black wearing a fedora and carrying a cane while blocking highway traffic and barking at people, a scuffle ensued and the suspect allegedly tried to get hold of the officer’s weapon while threatening to kill him. With assistance from a bystander, the suspect was handcuffed then jailed.

William Wayne Lacer. Current mug shot not available. Mug shot above is from arrest in March 2021.

William Wayne Lacer, 41, Linton, was arrested by Officer Adam King of the Linton Police Department Sunday night, May 16.

Officer King was dispatched right before 7 p.m. to an area near Humphreys Park after the LPD got a report that a man was blocking traffic on State Road 54. The caller said the man was dressed in black, wearing a fedora and carrying a cane. They said he was barking at people.

Officer King found the man nearby at the Chuckles gas station. It was William Wayne Lacer and he was coming out of the store. When Officer King told Lacer he needed to talk to him, Lacer allegedly said “F___ you,” and started to walk away. When Officer King told him again that he needed to talk to him, Lacer allegedly said the same thing again and then pushed the officer in the chest. A scuffle ensued.

Officer King grabbed Lacer’s wrist and he reported Lacer attempted to throw a punch at the officer. Lacer was placed on the ground then started kicking the officer’s legs, then allegedly tried to unholster the officer’s service weapon while yelling, “I’m going to shoot you and kill you.”

Officer King wrote in a probable cause affidavit that when he realized Lacer was trying to unholster his weapon, he felt threatened and delivered multiple strikes to Lacer’s head and body, but Lacer continued his attempts to unholster the weapon while continuing to yell the threat to shoot and kill the officer.

When Lacer released his grip on the weapon and the officer tried to get handcuffs on, Lacer rolled onto his stomach and put his hands under his body.

At that point, a bystander identified as Michael Lowell asked the officer if he needed help. The officer accepted the offer and with the bystander’s assistance, Lacer’s hands were placed behind his back and he was handcuffed.

LPD Officers Joe Riley and Alan Jackson then arrived to assist and Lacer was picked up and placed against Officer Riley’s patrol vehicle where Lacer allegedly kicked Officer King again and Officer Jackson placed Lacer on the ground again. When Lacer stopped being combative, he was transported to Greene County General Hospital for a medical check.

At the hospital, when Officer Riley was helping Lacer out of the patrol vehicle, Lacer allegedly kicked Officer Riley’s legs. Inside the hospital, Lacer allegedly was yelling and not cooperative toward hospital personnel. But Lacer was cleared and transported to the Greene County Jail.

Lacer was booked in at 9 p.m. His bond was set at $23,500 surety with ten percent cash allowed. As of late Monday, he had not yet posted bond and was still in jail.

Lacer is facing preliminary charges of:

Disarming a law enforcement officer, a Level 5 felony,
Battery against a public safety official, a Level 6 felony,
Intimidation, a Level 6 felony,
Battery against a public safety official, a Level 6 felony,
Resisting law enforcement – knowingly or intentionally forcibly resists, a Class A misdemeanor, and
Disorderly conduct – engaged in fighting or tumultuous conduct, a Class B misdemeanor.

This is not Lacer’s first brush with the law, and it’s not the first time he’s been in a scuffle with an officer.

In addition to a new criminal case following Sunday’s incident, he currently has five other criminal cases pending against him. Four involve felonies; one is a misdemeanor case.

In one case, he’s been charged with domestic battery resulting in serious bodily injury, domestic battery resulting in moderate bodily injury and intimidation. In a second case, he’s been charged with felony intimidation. In a third case, he’s been charged with battery against a public safety official, possession of methamphetamine and possession of paraphernalia. In a misdemeanor case, he’s been charged with harassment by means of a telephone call and another felony case involves intimidation with a deadly weapon, domestic battery in the presence of a child, and pointing a firearm at another person.

Several stories involving Lacer have been posted on GreeneStreets. To find them, click on the Tag “William Wayne Lacer” below this story.