He also field slaughtered the, and took them for processing. The majority of the meat was given for charity, and some made some mighty fine jerky!
It' slike swatting flies, just bigger and louder!
Posted on 07/26/2006 4:17:08 AM PDT by Samwise
Wednesday morning, a 17-year-old accused of the interstate shootings is in jail. Zachariah Blanton is accused of killing one man and wounding another in the Sunday morning shootings.
It's been a quick turn of events. Early Sunday morning, four separate shootings took place on I-65 and I-69 in Indiana. Tuesday evening, State Police announced they had arrested a suspect, and now that suspect is scheduled to appear in court in Jackson County at 11:00 a.m.
Blanton has been charged with murder, attempted murder, and criminal recklessness.
Police believe he was the only shooter, but they have not given a motive for the shootings. They say he has been in trouble for sex and theft crimes in the past.
Governor Mitch Daniels commended law enforcement for this quick arrest.
"Indiana has now been spared through the combined efforts of these outstanding professionals the sort of fear, uncertainty and disruption that has befallen other jurisdictions elsewhere," said Daniels.
Bullet fragments from the shooting scene indicate a Remington 710 rifle was the murder weapon, and that's what officers found when they searched Blanton's home.
Blanton is from the small town of Gaston, Indiana just northwest of Muncie. 24-Hour News 8 visited Blanton's home Tuesday and spoke with those who knew him.
While family members say Blanton is not capable of committing these crimes, his schoolmates describe him as a troubled teen.
"He's always been pretty crazy," said schoolmate Joe Snyder. "He's a nut. He always has been. He's got in trouble a lot, a troublemaker. He's gotten into all kinds of trouble for being mean to people."
"Not exactly a wonderful person but not a terrible person either," added schoolmate Tara Jones. "He made mistakes, just like everyone else, but I didn't think he would do something like this."
Blanton's neighbors expressed concern for the teen's family, saying they are nice people who they've always gotten along with.
"We've talked with them, very nice," said neighbor Linda Antrim. "You can't ask for better neighbors, really."
Meanwhile, neighbors in Seymour are breathing a sign of relief after hearing police made an arrest.
Donna Duttlinger lives just yards from the overpass where police say Blanton shot and killed one man and injured another. Duttlinger says ever since the shootings, she didn't feel safe in her own house.
"Just knowing that I was sleeping with my child and got a weirdo on the bridge, that's scary," she said.
Since the weekend shootings, some motorists driving up and down Indiana's interstates have felt a sense of fear. Travelers worried about their safety. Those feelings have disappeared with the announcement of Blanton's arrest.
24-Hour News 8 will have complete coverage of Blanton's court appearance today on News 8 at Noon and right here on WISHTV.com.
I think we're all breathing a little easier now.
It is scary how our safety is dependent on the goodwill of those around us.
"Just knowing that I was sleeping with my child and got a weirdo on the bridge, that's scary," she said.
If she is sleeping with her child, there is more than one weirdo in town.
Sounds like he swallowed a lot of agression (along with a lot of pizzas)...
can someone explain this to me?
thanks
"Although it's not deer-hunting season, the group was allowed to clear out deer on a farmer's land, friends said."
Deer are the biggest "pest" that a farmer faces. They can wipe out a crop. A friend killed 28 in one night on his place, and he only tends 38 acres. The nxt night, he killed another 17.
He also field slaughtered the, and took them for processing. The majority of the meat was given for charity, and some made some mighty fine jerky!
It' slike swatting flies, just bigger and louder!
thanks!
He wanted to weld underwater because he would appear shorter underwater and better escape notice? Said with a straight face. Oh my, we could not possibly have a nut on our hands here, no way.
Is "clearing out" different from "hunting"? In other words, if the game warden shows up and says, "Hey, it's not hunting season!" And you say, "No, we're not hunting, we're just clearing them out." And the warden says, "Oh, no problem. Can I have one when you're finished?"
Is that how it works?
It is one of the last remaining "property " rights. You own the land, and the deer are pests. Hunting allowance is seasonal for breeding purposes, etc. But, the pest problem is addressed when necessary. You also can't "hunt" at night. Read my post!
I did. I just wasn't clear on the legality of it. I don't have a problem with it. Too many of them. I live in the city and the dang things come strolling right down the middle of the street. One jumped through a restaurant window where my son worked.
I just heard on WOWO AM that a note has been found at the Wells County rest stop that promises a blood bath along I-69. Hope the law enforcement keeps alert; sounds like copy cat kids are about.
Maybe he was palying too many games where shoots at anything that moves.
Yes - it is a relief that this is over. I'm in the Louisville media market and the coverage on this was extensive.
I formerly lived in Fairfax City, next to I-66 (when there was no sound wall), and watched a steady stream of critters travel under the highway through the storm drains! The entire DC area is rife with deer. I thimnk the insurance companies maypay more for deer collisions around here, than for people.
Everyone you talk to has a story, it seems, about a run-in with a deer, except those that use the Metro!
What the hell are you talking about? That seems like too much beer talking, this early in the day?
Glad they caught him. Any motive yet?
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