Man charged in altercation with deputies held on million dollar bond
John A. Beatty (right) and his attorney Benjamin Whitacre (center) listen to Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Taylor Bennington (left) argue against a reduced bond for the defendant during Beatty’s arraignment on Jan. 30.
January 30, 2019
A Roseville man charged in an altercation that left a deputy with a broken ankle and a pair of police cruisers damaged earlier this month pleaded not guilty to all counts during his arraignment Wednesday afternoon.
John Beatty, 31, is charged with three first-degree felonies of aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary and felonious assault on a peace officer, a third-degree felony of failure to comply with risk of harm, a fourth-degree felony of vandalism, and two fifth-degree felonies of vandalism and possession of criminal tools.
According to Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz, the incident began around 3 a.m. on Jan. 16 at the Maysville Pike Walmart when deputies were called to investigate a suspicious person fitting the description of a previous shoplifter at the store.
When deputies began interviewing the suspect, who was later identified as Beatty, the man would not cooperate, Lutz said.
The suspect attempted to leave without complying to the orders of the deputies and without sharing his name or any other information with law enforcement, prompting a struggle that resulted in a deputy breaking his ankle when he and another deputy fell to the ground with Beatty.
The injured deputy stayed behind while the other took off after Beatty, who was running to his truck in the parking lot.
After a failed attempt at stopping him with a Taser, Beatty fled in his vehicle, prompting a road pursuit.
Beatty led deputies southwest on Maysville Pike, onto SR 93 and finally onto Crock Road where he turned onto a dead-end driveway.
Becoming trapped, Beatty attempted to circle back around the deputies by driving through yards. When Beatty drove back out of the driveway, he became stuck on its incline.
Lutz said Beatty then put his truck into reverse and rammed the cruiser behind him twice, the second impact sending Williams into the second deputy’s vehicle.
At that point, the deputies exited their cars and successfully deployed a Taser through Beatty’s side window, allowing the officers to take him into custody.
Beatty is currently being held in the Muskingum County Jail on a $1 million dollar bond.
