Connersville, Ind. – Just after 9 a.m. Jan. 7, off-duty Indiana State Police Sgt. Brian Metcalfe stopped at the Walmart store in Connersville just to run in and pick up a few things.
As he parked his fully marked Indiana State Police car, he could see a female employee outside in the lot.
The employee shouted and pointed at a woman walking across the lot, saying she had stolen some items and struggled with employees when they confronted her, according to a press release from Public Information Officer Sgt. John Bowling.
Metcalfe drove his police car over to the woman as she got in a car parked in the lot. He got out and made contact with the female suspect and another woman in the car.
As Metcalfe got their information, the female shoplifting suspect attempted to get the car started and leave. After the other woman in the car prevented her from leaving, the female suspect got out and struggled with Metcalfe in the lot, attempting to escape on foot, Bowling said.
During the struggle, the suspect bit Metcalfe’s arm drawing blood, and cut his head with the handcuffs, Bowling said. The other woman in the car got out and assisted the officer in taking Ashley Renee Goins, 29, of Anderson, Ind., into custody.
Instead of a just a misdemeanor criminal conversion charge for the alleged shoplifting, Goins now stands charged with felony battery on a law enforcement officer and felony possession of a stolen vehicle, as the car she was in had been reported stolen out of Anderson.
In addition, Goins also was charged with theft and resisting law enforcement.
After being treated for minor injuries at Fayette Regional Hospital, Goins was lodged in the Fayette County Jail.
This incident illustrates the importance of troopers living in the communities in which they work, and proves the adage that “an Indiana State Trooper is never off duty,” Bowling said.