BEDFORD – Bedford Police officers made an arrest on Saturday, September 23 after responding to 3310 Washington Avenue after a report of a physical altercation involving a firearm.
When police arrived at 1:41 p.m. they found a 22-year-old man standing in the driveway of the home. The man told police that he and his his fiancée were watching television when his fiancée’s father 56-year-old Vernon Ball, opened the door to the room and pointed a shotgun at him. Ball then ordered the male to leave the residence and he did so. While he was leaving Ball then smacked his 38-year-old daughter on the side of the head with the shotgun. After leaving the home the 22-year-old man called 911.
Officers knocked on the door and loudly announced their presence and Ball yelled at officers to come inside.
Vernon Ball, 56, Bedford, domestic battery with a deadly weapon, pointing a firearm, criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon.
Police said Ball was distraught and had concerns about his rights as a homeowner. He told police that there was an unwanted intruder inside his house and he was refusing to leave and he was just protecting his home.
Ball admitted to pointing a .22 Winchester long rifle at the man and ordering him out of the residence. While he was pointing the firearm at the man the woman grabbed the firearm. Ball said the gun was unloaded. However, police found the gun had one live round in the chamber.
Police say the female suffered a laceration on the right side of her face and was treated at the scene by an IU LifeLine ambulance crew. She refused to be transported to the hospital.
Ball was arrested on charges of domestic battery with a deadly weapon, pointing a loaded firearm, and criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon and transported to the Bedford Police Department for processing and then to the Lawrence County Jail.
