Two people who were facing criminal charges in Johnson County courts have pled guilty and been sentenced on stalking and battering public safety official charges, respectively.
The Daily Journal has previously reported about these cases, and is sharing this update to give resolution to our earlier reporting on crime in the community.
Edinburgh man to serve 6 years for threats
An Edinburgh man who sent a woman 2,000 threatening text messages in five days will spend six years in prison.
Welby Johnson, 43, pled guilty to one count of stalking, a Level 5 felony, and one count each of invasion of privacy and intimidation, both Level 6 felonies, before Johnson County Circuit Court Judge Andy Roesener on Oct. 6. As part of a plea agreement, three counts of invasion of privacy, and two counts of intimidation, all Level 6 felonies, were dismissed, according to online court records.
He was sentenced the same day to six years in prison, with a jail credit of 226 days. He was also recommended to participate in a Recovery While Incarcerated program, online court records show.
Johnson was first accused of violating a protection order, which was issued in December 2020 and served in February 2021, on March 15, 2021, when he sent the victim a text saying, “you better get a gun,” according to a probable cause affidavit.
The victim told Franklin police Johnson was upset she had filed invasion of privacy charges against him. She said she was scared of him and did not want officers to speak with him because she was afraid it would make things worse. Police told the victim to stay with a friend for a couple of days, and to call 911 if Johnson came to her house, according to court documents.
The victim received hundreds of messages from Johnson’s phone. He seemed to be extremely agitated in the messages, and became increasingly agitated when she did not respond, eventually threatening to kill her and her family, court documents show.
The victim told police Johnson was in a manic state and would not stop threatening her. She was in fear for her life, and did not know how to get him to stop. At one point, Johnson warned her if she changed her number, he would kill her and her child, according to court documents.
When police attempted to communicate with Johnson via text message, he refused to meet with them to discuss the messages, and said he was sorry and did not mean anything by them, court documents show.
Police tried to determine his location but could not, according to court documents.
Then, on March 23, 2021, Johnson violated the protection order again, sending the victim more text messages. This time, he threatened to murder her and then himself, court documents show.
“If (I) go to prison you do know I’m killing you when (I) get out right? … If (I) get caught before and go to prison when (I) get out I’m going to murder you ASAP,” Johnson said in the text messages.
Indy man sentenced for assaulting jail officers
An Indianapolis man will serve more than 3 years in prison for assaulting jail officers while in custody last year.
Earl Wilson Jr., 50, pled guilty to two counts of battery causing bodily injury to a public safety official, a Level 5 felony, and a count of battery against a public safety official engaged in official duty, a Level 6 felony, before Johnson County Superior Court 3 Judge Douglas Cummins on Oct. 6. As part of a plea agreement, two misdemeanor counts of criminal mischief causing damage were dismissed.
He was sentenced the same day to 3.5 years in prison, with a jail credit of 36 days, online court records say.
A member of the jail staff reported in October 2021 that Wilson had been threatening and harassing her through the jail’s intercom system, saying he had repeatedly asked her if her Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles records matched her home address records. The jail officer reported this to deputies and asked to press charges, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Deputies talked to Wilson shortly after. When they asked him and his cellmate who had been using the intercom system, Wilson became aggressive and shouted profanities at the deputies, according to court documents.
Deputies told Wilson to not use the intercom to harass staff, and left to speak with another inmate in the same cell block. Wilson continued to yell profanities at the deputies and other jail staff during this time, and later used the intercom to yell at jail staff, court documents show.
Later, a decision was made to put Wilson in a padded cell without access to an intercom. When deputies went to remove Wilson from his cell, they asked him to place his hands through the door’s food port to get handcuffed. He refused and yelled profanities at them, court documents show.
During the handcuffing, a jail officer’s hand got caught between the handcuffs and Wilson through the food port. Wilson eventually moved so the jail officer could get his hand out. Jail staff opened the door and tried to secure him for transport to another cell, but Wilson was combative and jerked away from staff, during which a jail officer’s hand got caught again between the handcuffs and Wilson. Wilson refused to let the jail officer’s hand go, and only did so after multiple commands, court documents show.
Once Wilson made it to the padded cell, he initially complied with the jail officer’s instructions so he could be secured in the cell. However, he refused to lie down on his stomach so his restraints could be removed, and deputies had to place him on the ground. He then attempted to fight jail officers as they tried to remove his restraints, court documents show.
Wilson threatened the jail officers, and deputies deployed a WRAP system, which is used to restrain combative inmates. After Wilson was secured, the injured jail officer was checked for injuries, as his hand showed signs of swelling and broken skin. During that time, Wilson continued to be combative. He kicked the jail officer multiple times in the arm and called him profanities. The jail officer went for medical treatment shortly after Wilson was secured in the cell, and doctors gave him medication and asked him to monitor the swelling, court documents show.
While the jail officer was seeking medical treatment, he was informed Wilson had attacked other jail officers during two separate incidents, according to court documents.
Inside his padded cell, Wilson had carved into the walls and floor, causing property damage. He also used a Styrofoam food container to cover the cell’s camera, and tore multiple chunks out of a wall, knocking the camera offline. When deputies went inside to fix the camera and place Wilson in restraints, he assaulted two deputies by punching one in the face and biting the other’s finger, causing bleeding. He also yelled profanities at the deputies before he was moved to another padded cell, court documents show.
During a second incident, he tried to cover a camera with a food container again, before ripping a metal plate off the wall of his cell and throwing it at the camera and window multiple times, eventually knocking the camera offline again, according to court documents.
