His Very First Arrest..

March 24, 2009: I can remember it like it was yesterday. Tyler, the kids, and I were living in a tiny house in Bedford on Bailey Scales Road. Tyler, a hard sleeper, bound out of bed when his phone rang in the early morning. He sounded hurried. Yes, Chief. I'll be right there. The closet light came on and he began putting his uniform together. A murder and a manhunt. That was the only thing he would tell me- such sweet words to leave your wife with (ugh). He hurriedly threw on his vest and uniform and began fumbling with all of it's buttons and zippers. Then he tied up his boots and secured his nearly 20lb duty belt. He kissed me goodbye. When he left, I wasn't sure where he was going, how long he'd be, if we were safe, or if he was going to be safe. It's a super, shitty feeling.

A murder had been reported in a trailer park across town and they needed all hands on deck. . A struggle and subsequent stabbing had occurred after a night of drugs and alcohol. One person was dead, another wounded, and the suspect, well, he was missing.  The sheriff's department was on a manhunt.

Since I wasn't there, I can't exactly tell this story from any other perspective than Tyler's. 

Tyler's job at the scene wasn't to help search for the alleged murder. He was to sit at the scene and log anyone's information who came and went. He sat for hours watching the commotion. When the buzz at the scene had subsided, he began to make conversation with the crime scene technician. As they were talking, residents nearby began shouting outside. Tyler made his way out the front door of the trailer with his weapon drawn. He didn't expect to see what he was about to come upon.

As he rounded the corner of the mobile home, a man appeared in front of him. He was covered in blood and looked disheveled.  Tyler recognized him as the target of the manhunt and ordered the man on the ground at gunpoint. The suspect was cooperative. Tyler cuffed him without incident and placed him inside of his police car.

Tyler's adrenaline was rushing through his body. He had a suspected murderer in custody. He lifted his radio... 47, 31. 47. I've got the suspect in custody. He radioed. He was asked to repeat his radio traffic, as if his he'd been interrupted. I've got the suspect in custody.  Others began to confirm what they had heard on the radio as they sped to the scene. 

The crime scene was quickly consumed with police cars and officers all prepared for the worst. Maybe they were expecting some sort of struggle or potential problems from the suspect being apprehended but nothing had happened. The man had told Tyler that he had gotten scared after what had happened and he had hid in the shed behind the mobile home and passed out.

There Tyler was, a rookie, waiting to attend the police academy in May and he had just apprehended a murder suspect as his very first arrest.  I think I heard this story upwards of 50 times. He was pretty proud of himself and so was I.

***In 2011, the man was convicted of Voluntary Manslaughter and Battery and was sentenced to 56 years in a Level 3 (medium security) prison in Carlisle, Indiana. ***