BEDFORD – A Heltonville man was sentenced on a felony charge of battery using a deadly weapon after he attempted to run over a male in the parking lot of Buffalo Wings & Rings on Saturday, March 2, 2024.
Lawrence County Superior Court II Judge Robert Cline sentenced 36-year-old Nathan Rottet of Heltonville on Thursday, May 30th, to six years in the Indiana Department of Corrections. He was given credit for 42 days served and suspended five years and 309 days of the sentence. Rottet was placed on supervised probation for five years to begin immediately. He was also ordered to participate in ADAPT and provide proof of a high school diploma or HES; if he does not, he must work towards obtaining one. He is also ordered to have no contact with the male victims. He was worded to pay $300 to ADAPT and $189 in court costs by September 17th at 1:00 p.m.
According to Bedford Police Major Clint Swanson, officers responded to the restaurant at 6:28 p.m. when a caller reported that the driver of a gray Jeep Wangler had attempted to run a male over in the parking lot. The driver of the Jeep had left the parking lot and headed west on John Williams Boulevard. The caller was able to obtain the Jeep’s license plate.
The vehicle was registered to 36-year-old Nathan Rottet of Heltonville.
The victim told police he was sitting on his moped smoking a cigarette when he noticed Rottet’s vehicle pulling into the parking lot. He told police he didn’t know Rottet very well but was familiar with the vehicle. He told police that Rottet accelerated directly at him. He hit the moped head-on, pushing the moped into a concrete wall. The victim was pinned between the moped and the concrete wall.
He suffered injuries to his left arm and leg. He had multiple abrasions to the inside of his elbow and had bruising, redness, and swelling to his left arm. An ambulance responded to the scene, and the victim was transported to the hospital for treatment.
A female employee of the restaurant told police Rottet was her ex-boyfriend and she had just started seeing the victim, and Rottet knew that.
Other witnesses confirmed the victim’s story.
Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department deputies responded to 1675 Dutch Ridge Road in an attempt to locate Rottet. Once there, they located the Jeep and waited for Bedford Police officers to arrive. Officer Jarrett Tedrow and Maj. Swanson responded.
Rottet did not respond to the police knocking on his door, therefore Officers applied for a search warrant, which was granted by Judge Nathan Nikirk.
Officers with the Bedford Police Department SWAT team arrived on the scene and were able to help
execute the warrant. At approximately 9:24 p.m., officers again knocked and announced their presence with no answer. Officers forced entry into the residence and quickly located Rottet lying in a tool room.
Rottet was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Bedford Police Department for processing.
Photos were taken of the damage on Rottet’s Jeep, consistent with striking the moped. A warrant was obtained for the Jeep, which was towed to Stone City Collision with a hold.
Rottet told police that the issue was between himself and his girlfriend because she had cheated on him multiple times. Rottet stated that people can only take so much, and he had taken a lot of mental abuse from his girlfriend over the years.
Rottet then stated as he pulled into the parking lot, he saw the victim’s moped. Rottet admitted he intended to destroy the moped, making it inoperable, and not to harm the man. Rottet said that as he was accelerating to hit the moped, the male grabbed the moped by the handlebars and attempted to pull it out of the way. However, he was too late. Rottet admitted he struck the moped and pinned the male against the wall. Rottet stated that he only left the scene because his girlfriend and another male were yelling at him to leave.
Rottet was then transported to the Lawrence County Jail.
