Arguing with a Winamac Police officer who was trying to arrest a woman who was running naked down Pearl Street has reportedly led to a conviction against a 79-year-old Winamac man. Officers say the incident happened in the early morning hours of October 1, 2019.
Amy Murray was allegedly running down Pearl Street completely nude, and when police apprehended her she was “perspiring, hyperactive, attempted to run from police, and said a variety of things that did not make sense at the time,” according to a press release from Pulaski County Prosecutor Kelly Gaumer.
That’s when Daniel D. Garigan allegedly drove up and parked his car. Gaumer says Officer Alec Berger ordered him to leave. Instead, Garigan reportedly got out of the car, argued with the officer, and said Berger would not be paid for long by the police department after he arrested him. Garigan allegedly didn’t follow Berger’s instructions and tried to grab his wrist. He also reportedly had a handgun when he was arrested.
Gaumer says the court found Garigan not guilty of resisting law enforcement, noting his age, but did convict him of the Class A misdemeanor of refusing to leave an emergency incident area. In the press release, Gaumer says Garigan distracted officers from a dangerous situation and that “demanding attention while officers perform an arrest is always a bad idea.” Sentencing is scheduled for October 29.
As for Murray, Gaumer says she pleaded guilty to resisting law enforcement, public nudity, and two counts of intimidation.
