A Cannelburg man is in jail this afternoon after an incident Wednesday in which he entered a Loogootee home uninvited and became involved in an altercation.
At 12:40 P.M. this afternoon, Senior Trooper Jarrod Lents and Loogootee Police Chief Kelly Rayhill responded to 106 North Oak Street in Loogootee, where a female caller had reported that a male intruder had been in the home.
Arrested was Kenneth A. Bettag, 51, Cannelburg, IN.
He was charged with
- Burglary, Level 4 Felony
- Strangulation, Level 5 Felony
- Residential Entry, Level 6 Felony
- Criminal Trespass, Class A Misdemeanor
- Battery, Class B Misdemeanor
Chief Rayhill was first to the home and found that the male had already left the scene in a maroon van with faded paint.
Lents patrolled the area looking for the van, and found both the van and a male, matching the description given to officers, in the Chuckle’s gas station lot. Lents placed the male, identified as 51-year-old Kenneth Bettag of Cannelburg, into custody without incident.
In continuing their investigation, officers learned that Bettag arrived at the Oak Street residence and walked in the front door, intending to speak with an ex-girlfriend. Bettag allegedly entered the home irate and refused to leave after being told to do so. Bettag allegedly walked up to the ex-girlfriend’s current boyfriend, grabbed him by the throat and pulled him off of a couch, eventually striking him and tearing his shirt. After hearing that police had been called, Bettag ran from the house and drove from the scene.
Bettag was charged with a number of felonies, including burglary, strangulation, and residential entry. Along with Loogootee PD, the State Police was assisted by the Martin County Sheriff’s Department.
