Indiana State Police (ISP) detectives arrested a Fredericksburg man Monday morning following a physical altercation and shooting in rural Washington County near Salem.  

Around 4:30 Monday morning, Officers from the Salem Police Department and the Washington County Sheriff’s Department responded to a 911 call reporting a person suffering from a gunshot wound was stopped on State Road 56 near East Wallace Lane just east of Salem.  

When officers arrived, they found 51-year-old Jed Elliott of North Franklin Church Road behind the wheel of a pickup truck and suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to the arm.  

A female friend accompanied Elliott in the truck. 

EMS quickly transported Elliott to University Hospital in Louisville for non-life-threatening injuries, and the Washington County Sheriff’s Department requested that ISP detectives and Crime Scene Investigators assume the investigation.  

Detectives Travis Baker and Steven Peyton and Crime Scene Investigator Andrew Taylor responded.  During the investigation, Detective Baker learned that Jed Elliott pulled behind a shed at his residence in the early morning hours.  Tyler Dylan Gay, of Fredericksburg, was also at that residence and observed Elliot, whom he recognized, pull in behind the shed.  Investigators believe Gay then walked from the residence armed with a handgun and confronted Jed Elliott.  The two men were then involved in a physical altercation, during which Tyler Gay fired the pistol, striking Elliott in the arm.  After being shot, Elliott and his friend fled the scene before stopping on the side of State Road 56 and calling 911.  

As a result of the investigation, Detective Baker arrested Tyler Dylan Gay for Aggravated Battery, a Level 3 Felony.  Officers transported Tyler Gay to the Washington County Jail without incident.

This case is still under investigation.  

The Indiana Court of Appeals has upheld a 2023 conviction of a Washington County man found guilty of Class C misdemeanor for OWI. The decision was handed down on May 23.

Charles R. Heath was found guilty of operating a vehicle with an alcohol concentration equivalent to at least 0.08 but less than 0.15 in a jury trial last year. He was acquitted on a Class A misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated. Heath was sentenced to 60 days in the Washington County Detention Center with 40 days suspended and 350 days of probation.

“The Court of Appeals decision was what we expected, based on the facts of the case and the parameters of the law,” said Prosecutor Tara Coats Hunt. “Operating while intoxicated is a serious crime and endangers our community. I am pleased that the Court upheld Mr. Heath’s conviction.”

Heath appealed his conviction on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence to support his conviction, specifically that the evidence did not prove that his BAC was at least 0.08 at the time he operated his truck. 

On May 17, 2023, Heath drank beer and homemade moonshine before driving to the Dollar General Store to buy a box fan. On the way home, he drove into a grassy area near the Little League ballfields, hitting a picnic table. A coach saw him and approached to see what was happening. Heath told the man to mind his own business and drove off. Police located him shortly after 8 p.m. at his home. After consenting to a breath test, one was administered at 9:15 p.m.

To his point, Heath argued that the alcohol testing took place around two hours after he was seen driving, which he said is too long. Heath was at his home for approximately a half hour after the ballpark incident and said it is reasonable to infer that he consumed the alcohol that led to his 0.97 BAC during that time period.

However, in its opinion, the Court noted that a chemical test must be administered within three hours after a law enforcement officer has probable cause to believe the person committed an offense.

The opinion states, “Heath now asks us to reweigh the evidence, which we will not do. There is sufficient evidence to support Heath’s conviction for Class C misdemeanor operating a vehicle with an alcohol concentration equivalent to at least 0.08 but less than 0.15.”