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Last updated on Wednesday, May 14, 2008
(BLOOMINGTON) - Bloomington police took a man into custody yesterday, accusing him of trying to strangle his 9-year-old son to death.
Bloomington's Captain Joe Qualters says the incident started when the boy's parents, who are separated, got into a dispute which resulted in the mother threatening to call police.
Qualters says 45-year-old Johnny Spurgeon of Bloomington responded by saying if she did, she wouldn't see her children again. The children hadn't been taken to school by the father that morning, and after that, police started looking for Spurgeon.
Bloomington, Monroe County and State officers canvassed an area shown by cell phone towers that Spurgeon was in, and a helicopter was called in to assist. Family members were contacted to encourage them to get a hold of Spurgeon to either reveal himself to officers or at least return the kids to safety, and he responded saying it was too late and that harm may have come to the kids.
Around 2:30 yesterday, police would locate Spurgeon at Mount Pleasant Christian Church and subsequent interviews with the kids revealed he had allegedly tried to strangle the 9-year-old explaining marks around his neck, but the 6-year-old daughter was unharmed.
Spurgeon told officers the strangling occurred at the Chambersville Cemetery which is technically in Owen County, so he was booked into Owen County jail preliminarily charged with attempted murder.
The investigation continues.
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