Indiana Sheriff's Deputy Fatally Wounded

March 5, 2018
Boone County Sheriff's Deputy Jacob Pickett was fatally wounded Friday morning while assisting Lebanon police officers in catching a wanted suspect.

LEBANON, Indiana -- Boone County Sheriff's Deputy Jacob Pickett, 30, will not survive a gunshot wound sustained Friday morning, Sheriff Mike Nielsen said.

Pickett was with with the Tipton County Sheriff's Department for two years and with Boone County for three years. He was a K-9 officer.

He and wife Jen Pickett have two young sons, Nielsen said. Pickett's family has chosen to donate his organs.

“Jake was a good man and he was a warrior,” said Nielsen, who had given Pickett cardiopulmonary resuscitation before his hospitalization.

Pickett was at a school showing his K-9 partner Brick to children just before he left to help Lebanon Police, Nielsen said.

“We are a family,” Nielsen said of law enforcement. "We are grieving. We are desperate for God’s mercy and grace … The next several days will be some of the hardest we have ever been through.”

Pickett was shot and transported to St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis after a shooting exchange with a person wanted on a warrant this morning, Indiana State Police Sgt. John Perrine said.

Lebanon Police were serving an arrest warrant on a woman on Yates Street at about 9:30 a.m.

While there, police saw John D. Baldwin Jr., 28, of Lebanon, who was also wanted on a warrant. Baldwin and two other men — John D. Baldwin Sr., 55, and Anthony Baumgardt, 21, both of Lebanon — proceeded to flee in a car shortly after police first made contact with them.

The men, driving a silver Ford focus, led police through the streets of Lebanon before two exited the vehicle to flee on foot. While pursuing the suspects, police say Pickett was shot by Baumgardt.

Meanwhile, Baldwin Jr. led police on a chase heading northbound in the southbound lane on Interstate 65 after driving through the main streets of Lebanon, Perrine said.

Armed officers were seen on foot outside of schools and on the streets throughout the city.

Businesses locked down, and the Lebanon Public Library let patrons in one at a time to get them off the streets and to safety. There were reports of children visiting the Boone County Courthouse who could not leave during the lock-down.

John Baldwin Sr. turned himself into police shortly before 11:30 a.m. All three suspects are in custody, police said.

Baumgardt was shot by an officer and is listed in stable condition at St. Vincent Hospital, Indianapolis. He will be jailed as soon as he is released, police said.

Another officer was involved in the initial shooting, but police have not yet released his name.

Police have not yet said who shot Baumgardt.

“It’s gut-wrenching ... our thoughts and prayers are with the family," Perrine said. "The police community is hurting today.”

Community prayer service planned

A multi-denominational prayer service for the community is planned and open to all at 5:30 p.m. Sunday at Lebanon Christian Church, 610 W. 250 N., Lebanon.

"We want to come together and pray for comfort, healing and peace for the community," the Rev. Tom Evans of Pleasant View Church said.

———

©2018 The Lebanon Reporter (Lebanon, Ind.)

Visit The Lebanon Reporter (Lebanon, Ind.) at www.reporter.net

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Sponsored Recommendations

Build Your Real-Time Crime Center

March 19, 2024
A checklist for success

Whitepaper: A New Paradigm in Digital Investigations

July 28, 2023
Modernize your agency’s approach to get ahead of the digital evidence challenge

A New Paradigm in Digital Investigations

June 6, 2023
Modernize your agency’s approach to get ahead of the digital evidence challenge.

Listen to Real-Time Emergency 911 Calls in the Field

Feb. 8, 2023
Discover advanced technology that allows officers in the field to listen to emergency calls from their vehicles in real time and immediately identify the precise location of the...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Officer, create an account today!