LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A Tipton man has been charged with two felonies and a misdemeanor after police say a fight led investigators to discover a stolen handgun.
According to recently released court documents, around 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 3, officers with the Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Department responded to an apartment on North 10th Street in Lafayette on a report of a physical fight.
When officers arrived, they found a man with blood stains on his body. The man told police he had just gotten into a physical fight with another man who was allegedly attempting to steal various items from his apartment.
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The victim told police the man attempted to take items such as a bicycle and power tools, and did steal a pair of purple sunglasses from the apartment. The victim also described the fight to police. Court documents show the victim told police the fight began when he attempted to stop the thief. The victim allegedly dodged a punch from the thief before throwing them to the ground onto a pile of rocks.
Court documents say that the victim gave police a description of the would-be robber, eventually leading them to 23-year-old Jonah Wallsmith of Tipton. The victim told police he saw Wallsmith wearing a gray backpack at the time of the altercation.
Eventually, court documents say, police were able to find Wallsmith and began to question him about the altercation. Court documents say Wallsmith was bleeding and had injuries to his face when he was located by police.
While police were questioning Wallsmith, court documents say he made comments about not being able to locate his backpack. Police informed Wallsmith that a gray backpack was behind him, but Wallsmith denied that the backpack was his.
Officers reportedly searched the gray backpack and found Wallsmith's ID, a pair of purple sunglasses and a handgun that was reported missing on June 1.
After being transported to an area hospital due to his injuries, Wallsmith continued to deny the gray backpack was his, telling officers the backpack belonged to his girlfriend and that he was just holding it for her. According to court documents, he allegedly admitted to police that he knew the firearm was inside the backpack, but continued to deny ownership, saying he was just holding it for a friend.
The firearm in question was reported stolen from a Lafayette residence near State Road 38 around 3:30 p.m. June 1. It was reportedly taken from the center console of the firearm's owner's personal vehicle.
According to online court records, Wallsmith is charged with two felonies: theft of a firearm and unlawful carrying of a firearm with a prior felony conviction within the last 15 years. He's also facing a misdemeanor charge of unlawful carrying of a handgun. His initial hearing is tentatively set for Aug. 23 at 9 a.m.
