An Aurora, Indiana woman allegedly pulled a handgun on utility crews repairing damaged power lines on her property, then her partner tangled with officers trying to arrest her, leaving a patrol car door dented and both of them facing felony charges. Lisa Barker, 60, and Bobby Hensley, 66, were taken into custody after the October 30 confrontation on East Laughery Creek Road.
According to WLWT, officers were dispatched to Barker's home after dispatchers received a report that she had threatened Southeastern Indiana REMC workers with a handgun while they repaired damaged electrical lines. Barker allegedly confronted the crew over their presence on her property, and because the lines they were working on were live, the employees could not simply leave, as Local 12 reports.
Worker Says Barker Threatened a Bullet to the Head
One employee reported that Barker displayed a small black firearm and asked whether she needed to shoot someone, per officials cited by the station. Another worker, elevated in a utility bucket at the time, reported hearing Barker say, “I guess its going to take me putting a bullet in the back of your head for you to get the message.” A third employee said Barker asked whether she needed to retrieve her gun to get him off her property, according to prosecutors.
All three workers reported feeling threatened or intimidated by Barker's conduct, according to Eagle Country. When a deputy asked Barker whether she had a weapon, she confirmed it, per prosecutors, and was ordered to drop the firearm. Instead of complying, Barker allegedly placed the gun behind her back in a holster rather than setting it down.
Struggle With Officers Dents Patrol Car
A physical struggle followed as officers attempted to take Barker into custody, and Hensley allegedly intervened, attempting to push and kick a sergeant. During that altercation with Aurora Police Chief Josh Daugherty, Hensley collided with a patrol vehicle, leaving a large dent in its door, the same report notes. Barker's firearm came out from behind her back during the struggle, according to 812 Now.
Officers ultimately deployed Tasers on both Barker and Hensley before taking them into custody. Prosecutor Lynn Deddens filed charges against both following the confrontation. Barker faces four felony charges, including three Level 5 felonies: one count of resisting law enforcement with a deadly weapon, and two counts of intimidation with a deadly weapon. She also faces a Level 6 felony count of intimidation, per the same account.
Hensley Faces Battery Charges, Hearing Set
Hensley faces two Level 6 felony charges of battery on a law enforcement officer and one Class A misdemeanor charge of resisting law enforcement. Indiana's resisting-law-enforcement statute, per the Indiana General Assembly, addresses conduct that forcibly resists, obstructs, or interferes with an officer. An initial hearing for the pair was scheduled for today, November 2, before Judge F. Aaron Negangard in Dearborn Circuit Court.
Barker was already out on bail on an unrelated charge, and prosecutors were seeking to have that bond revoked, per Local 12's reporting. The case adds to a string of reports of violence against utility crews nationally, including an August incident in which a NIPSCO vehicle was struck by gunfire in Gary, Indiana, according to CBS Chicago, and a Texas utility workers union's July appeal for the public to leave CenterPoint Energy linemen alone after multiple violent incidents, as reported by ABC13 Houston.
