MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA, Ind. — A Madison County judge has ruled that the Noblesville West Middle School shooter will remain detained following allegations he assaulted a public official at a juvenile facility last month.
The shooter is being held in Madison County as charges are being considered.
The shooter was 13 years old when he was sentenced to serve time at the facility – until he turned 18 – for opening fire and shooting a Noblesville West Middle School classmate and teacher on May 25, 2018.
Court documents show on Monday, April 17, the Hamilton County prosecutor contacted investigators with Indiana State Police to request an investigation into a battery incident that occurred at the Indiana Department of Correction's Juvenile Detention Center in Madison County a month prior.
On March 20, the convicted Noblesville West Middle School shooter, who was 17 at the time, allegedly punched an unidentified female Department of Correction employee twice in the breast shortly before his expected release date of April 11.
The counselor who was reportedly punched by the convicted shooter that day was allegedly assigned to about 24 students inside the residential block called Echo Block, or E Block. She facilitates communication between parents and students, among other duties. She told investigators she frequently schedules appointments with students, and also allows impromptu drop-ins, according to court documents.
But on the day she was reportedly punched twice, the convicted shooter had tried to interrupt a meeting the employee scheduled with another student. The employee "did not have time to meet with both boys" and requested they both leave her office.
As she motioned to usher them out of her office, the teen allegedly "punched her twice in the breast" while simultaneously saying, "I punched your boob," as he did so.
The counselor told investigators the motion was a "fist bump" motion and said it was not a "very hard punch." She believed another teen saw the incident and began to laugh.
Other counselors strongly advised her to write a formal report about the incident.
Witnesses who saw the incident allegedly also told investigators they overheard the convicted gunman state, "I punched your boob [expletive]" and they also overheard him tell students "I touched her [expletive]."
The convicted shooter told investigators in later interviews he had accidentally touched the employee's breast, and denied making statements to other students about the incident.
He was later charged with a Level 6 felony charge of battery against a public safety official.
On April 19, prosecutors asked the judge to reconsider releasing the shooter due to a recent incident inside the juvenile prison.