Williams
A Franklin man has been charged after allegedly threatening children, hitting an officer and shooting out his apartment window.
Ross Edmund Williams, 33, of Franklin, is facing six charges from two incidents in early January. One set of charges was filed on Jan. 10 stemming from a Jan. 5 incident, and those are a felony charge of battery on a public safety officer, and misdemeanor charges of public intoxication and disorderly conduct. A second set of charges were filed on Monday stemming from a shots-fired incident that occurred before the Jan. 5 incident: felony charges of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon and possession of narcotics, along with a misdemeanor charge of possession of paraphernalia.
Franklin Police and Johnson County Sheriff deputies who are school resource officers for Franklin schools responded to the incidents over the course of two days.
School threats
Police first began investigating Williams on Jan. 4 following an incident that occurred at a school bus stop at Northwood of Franklin Apartments. Williams was allegedly intoxicated and yelling at children waiting for a school bus. After he went inside his apartment, he called Northwood Elementary School and said he hoped it would blow up, according to police reports.
About 20 minutes after Williams’ first call, he called the school back and said if the school didn’t handle the “issue,” he would get on the bus while armed and solve the problem himself.
Franklin school officials alerted families of students on the bus route about Williams threatening to board the bus, but did not alert all Northwood families about Williams’ comments regarding the school blowing up, as what he said didn’t specify personal intent, said Robin Betts, spokesperson for Franklin schools.
“If we can’t point it to ‘I’m going to do X,’ there’s not a lot to communicate with parents without leaving angst and uncertainty,” she said.
School resource officers also determined the comments didn’t qualify as a threat, said Sheriff Duane Burgess.
Williams denied making the calls when asked by school resource officers. But he allegedly clapped his hands and said “I do like that,” according to a report.
When questioned about the second call, Williams denied boarding a school bus before asking officers to leave, which they did, the report says.
Williams was also trespassed from the school as a result of the incident, the report says.
Shots fired incident
Franklin Police were back to the apartment complex on Jan. 5 to investigate an incident after an apartment complex employee told police Williams had called her and said someone had shot a hole in his window, according to a report. The report didn’t make clear what day the shot was fired.
He also allegedly told the witness someone was after him and said he was “ready for war,” the Franklin police report says.
A maintenance worker went inside the apartment and confirmed there was a bullet hole in the window, however, it appeared to have been shot from the inside out, he told police. In a search of the apartment, an empty shell casing was found on the floor and a handgun laying out, according to the report.
Williams left the apartment with a juvenile before police could arrive on scene, the reports say. Franklin police were later called to a nearby Mexican restaurant on a report of a disorderly customer with a young child. The customer was later identified as Williams, the report says.
Police attempted to speak with Williams, however, he allegedly became loud and belligerent. He said officers were wanting to shoot him, kick him and fight him, despite no evidence of this, police say.
Officers later asked Williams to put his hands on his head, but he allegedly reached toward his pockets. Officers then handcuffed him, and he was taken outside, according to the report.
Police say Williams appeared to be intoxicated during the encounter, staggering when he walked and having slurred speech. They also observed him allegedly consuming a large glass of beer when they arrived at the restaurant, according to the report.
When officers tried to ask Williams about the bullet hole, he said he wanted a lawyer and then he said it was because someone was trying to hurt him, the report says.
Witnesses told police Williams had allegedly been threatening the juvenile and restaurant employees, the report says.
Williams was taken to Johnson Memorial Hospital for a blood test. A preliminary breath test showed he had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.27, the report says.
While at the hospital, Williams allegedly ripped his IVs from his arm, kicked a police officer and threatened doctors and nurses and called them names, the report shows.
He was taken to the Johnson County jail following the Jan. 5 incident but he has since been released on bond for the first case. A warrant was issued for his arrest on Tuesday for the second case.
