An Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer has been taken into custody facing allegations of domestic violence, including domestic battery in the presence of a child and strangulation. Officer Herman Edgar Means III, a seven-year veteran of the force currently serving in the East District, was arrested on Tuesday evening, as reported by FOX 59.
According to the Whiteland Police Department, officers were dispatched to Means' home around 9 p.m. following a distress call. Upon arrival, they found that the caller had allegedly been battered and restrained. The Whiteland Police stated, "During the investigation, officers determined the 911 caller had been battered and restrained." The situation became more complex when Means was identified as an off-duty IMPD officer, according to reports from the Daily Journal.
Consequently, detectives from IMPD's Special Investigation Unit were to immediately provide assistance during the ongoing inquiry. As stated by WTHR, the officer has been placed on administrative leave and will remain so pending an internal review of the incident after his release.
Details gleaned from various news outlets indicated that Means was booked into the Johnson County jail late Tuesday night. While the specific details of the altercation have not been made public, the reports universally confirmed the presence of a child at the time of the alleged incident. In light of these preliminary charges, Means has had his police authority suspended, and all department-issued equipment collected, as per the statements from IMPD.
The internal ramifications for Means are just beginning to unfold as IMPD's Internal Affairs department embarks on an administrative investigation "to assess potential departmental violations and present the findings to the Chief of Police for review," as per the department's own protocols. The Johnson County Prosecutor's Office is responsible for decisively making the final charging decisions against Means. Despite the charges, Means maintains the presumption of innocence until, and unless, proven guilty in a court of law, as stated in the WTHR report.
The Whiteland Police Department has made it clear that their investigation into the incident is actively continuing, with no further details released at this juncture. As this story develops, further information will likely be forthcoming as the legal process unfolds, and internal assessments are concluded.
