AVOCA- A Bedford man was arrested on Sunday, June 9th after a 911 call reporting shots fired in the area of Graves Addition and Mitchell Street in Avoca.
Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Thomas Porter responded and spoke to a woman who reported the neighbor had shot at her and her children.
Officer Porter was going to speak to the neighbor, 40-year-old Todd Beikman, when Beikman pulled onto Mitchell Street in a maroon Toyota Tacoma.
Officer Porter followed and then lost sight of the vehicle. He then spotted the vehicle traveling north on North Pike Road. Porter followed and again lost sight of the vehicle.
Officer Porter returned to speak to the caller. The caller reported a verbal altercation with Beikman involving a dog at the caller’s home on Mitchell Street. Beikman confronted the caller’s husband, and the argument escalated. Beikman returned to his home on Graves Addition Road. The caller stated that Beikman exited his home with a firearm, pointed it at the ground, and pulled the trigger. Beikman then walked along his porch and started firing toward the caller’s home, where she and her husband, two children, and another man were standing. Police say the distance between the two homes is about 170 feet. The caller said Beikman fired one time from the porch, three to four more times after leaving the porch, and then two final shots. The woman said they could see dirt and grass flying up in the air where the bullets struck the ground.
Biekman called the Sheriff’s Department. He wanted to give his side of the story.
He told police he was shot at but refused to tell police where he was. He said, “People should not be shooting at him as he does have post-traumatic stress disorder.”
Officer Kenton Carter spoke to Beikman and built a rapport. They agreed to meet at Crossroads Community Church. There, Beikman was detained without incident.
Beikman did not have the weapon with him and told police he threw it out the window of his truck along State Road 54 West. Sheriff Greg Day, Captain James Sloan, and Sgt. Compton was able to locate the firearm on State Road 54.
Sergeant Robin Compton asked for assistance from the detectives’ division due to the call type.
Detective Michael Williams arrived and applied for a search warrant for Beikman’s residence. Judge Nathan Nikirk granted the warrant. During the search, police found a box of spent shell casings that matched the firearm that was shot by Beikman. Police also found multiple illegal substances, including cocaine and marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.
Beikman is facing charges of intimidation with a deadly weapon, criminal recklessness with a firearm, pointing a firearm, obstruction of justice, and possession of a controlled substance.
