Grand jury indicts 17-year-old who disarmed, threatened Spencer Co. jailer

STAFF REPORT

DARRELL HERNDON

Wednesday, May 7, 2014, 7:30 p.m. — The 17-year-old who disarmed and threatened to shoot Spencer County Jailer Darrell Herndon in March was indicted Wednesday on charges that include attempted murder, wanton endangerment and assault.

The indictment issued Wednesday by a Nelson County grand jury charged James W. Gillespie, 17, of Mount Eden, with attempted murder; third-degree assault, first-degree wanton endangerment; disarming a police officer; first-degree escape; theft by unlawful taking/disposition – firearm; third-degree terroristic threatenning; and menacing.

The charges stem from an incident that began when Gillespie allegedly slipped out of his restraints while Herndon was transporting him back to Lincoln Village Detention Center in Elizabethtown on Wednesday, March 12. According to a press release, Gillespie got through the safety screen separating the front and back of the jailer’s vehicle and began choking Herndon. Herndon pulled his vehicle into the parkway median and stopped and attempted to exit the vehicle.

The indictment alleges Gillespie attempted to use Herdon’s gun to shoot and kill Herndon and Clinton Blackburn, a truck driver who saw the incident and stopped to help. Herndon’s weapon failed to discharge despite Gillespie’s repeated attempts to fire it.

Blackburn tackled the juvenile and he and Herndon held the juvenile until additional law enforcement arrived.

Bail was set at $500,000 cash only plus conditions. Arraignment was set for 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 22, 2014.

Editor’s Note: An indictment is an accusation based on material collected by law enforcement and prosecutors.

-30-