BEDFORD – A Bedford man was detained after a warrant was issued for his arrest after an incident on June 16th.
On that day Central Dispatch received a 911 call from a woman who reported her son 49-year-old Todd Branaman had shot out her tires preventing her from leaving her home in the 1000 block of Palestine Road.
Officers rushed to the home and en route Central Dispatch received a call from Branaman saying he had numerous firearms inside the home.
Also responding to the scene were Indiana State Police troopers and Bedford Police officers.
ISP troopers, Sheriff deputies, and Bedford officers surrounded the home.
A trooper found the female caller in her vehicle and was able to safely remove her from the scene.
The woman told police she was with her son for most of the day and he requested she stay but she was afraid to stay so she attempted to leave. She left and got into her truck and started it. That is when Branaman exited the home, ran up to the truck begging her to stay. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a handgun. He then used the pistol to shoot out both of her tires on one side of the truck and walked around to the other side of her truck and shot out the other two tires. After shooting the tires, he ran back inside the home. The woman then called 911. She told police she believed her son shot the tires to prevent her from leaving.
The woman said her son has a bad temper when things do not go his way. She added her son’s mental state has worsened since his father’s passing in April.
An ISP trooper made contact with Branaman by telephone. He told the trooper he was inside the home with numerous firearms. The trooper continued to speak to Branaman while another officer secured a search warrant from Judge John Plummer III for the home.
The trooper continued to attempt to get Branaman to peacefully exit the home. At one point he came to the front door but refused to open it or exit the home.
It was decided the safety of Branaman and the officers outweighed the danger posed by Branaman being placed in custody, so the search warrant was not executed. All the officers left the scene.
The information was forwarded to the Lawrence County Prosecutor’s Office and a warrant was issued for Branaman’s arrest on charges of criminal confinement and criminal recklessness.
