BEDFORD — A Heltonville man faces a long list of criminal charges, including domestic battery and felony operating a vehicle while intoxicated, following a violent domestic altercation that ended in a combative arrest in a fast-food parking lot.
James D. Glover, 63, was arrested Friday night, May 22, 2026, by the Bedford Police Department. His arrest followed a multi-agency response to a domestic disturbance that left a local woman severely injured.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Bedford Police Major Clint Swanson, officers were dispatched to a residence in the 100 block of J Hunter Drive at approximately 8:46 p.m. A neighbor had called 911 after hearing a woman outside screaming for help. While officers were en route, dispatchers warned that the male suspect had fled the scene in a red GMC Sierra pickup truck.
Major Swanson spotted the matching red pickup truck traveling eastbound on 16th Street just as he pulled away from the police station. He initiated a traffic stop near 16th and Q streets. Glover immediately veered into the Hardee’s parking lot, parking diagonally across two spaces.
When Glover opened his door, officers observed that he was covered in blood, which was dripping from his knuckles and smeared across his pants and arms. Major Swanson noted a strong odor of alcohol on Glover’s breath, glassy eyes, and an unsteady balance.
Upon being detained and read his Miranda warnings, Glover openly admitted to the source of the blood, telling officers, “It’s hers.”
Glover claimed to police that his ex-girlfriend had attacked him inside the truck while he was trying to drive her home. He alleged she scratched his neck and “ran into his elbow,” which he claimed caused the massive amount of blood on his person and inside the cab. He admitted they had been drinking and pointed out a six-pack of beer on the floorboard.
Glover refused to participate in standardized field sobriety testing or a preliminary breath test.
Meanwhile, Bedford Officer Ratcliff arrived at the J Hunter Drive residence and located a female bleeding profusely from her nose and mouth. Neighbors were trying to assist her.
The female told police that Glover had punched her in the face with a closed fist three times after she refused to go back to his house in Heltonville. She admitted to kicking him in the face to get away. Officer Ratcliff noted that the female was highly reluctant to provide details or press charges out of explicit fear that Glover would kill her.
The neighbors told police they were alerted by what sounded like a child yelling. When they looked outside, they saw the red GMC truck driving down the street while the woman was trapped in the moving vehicle, hanging her leg out of the open passenger door and screaming that she was being beaten. Glover briefly stopped the truck, allowing the woman to escape before speeding away.
Glover was placed into a patrol vehicle, where Officer Jones read him the Indiana Implied Consent warning. After Glover refused chemical testing again, police secured a blood draw search warrant from Lawrence County Judge Robert Cline.
Glover’s behavior grew increasingly hostile. While being escorted to a transport vehicle, he became physically abusive, forcibly pushing back against officers and trying to break away to escape.
At IU Health Bedford Hospital, Glover refused to comply with medical staff or officers, forcing police to physically restrain him on an emergency room bed. He continually screamed obscenities at hospital staff and officers until he was medically cleared and booked into the Lawrence County Jail.
A vehicle inventory of Glover’s impounded truck uncovered five “99-proof” liquor shooters and a six-pack of Bud Light. A database check revealed Glover has no driver’s license and is currently driving on a suspended identification card. Furthermore, records show Glover was recently convicted of another OWI in Orange County on April 21, 2026.
Glover was transported to the Lawrence County Jail on the following preliminary charges:
- Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated (OWI) with a Prior Conviction
- OWI Endangerment
- Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated
- OWI Refusal
- Domestic Battery Resulting in Moderate Bodily Injury
- Resisting Law Enforcement by Force
- Reckless Driving
- Disorderly Conduct
- Driving as an Operator Who Never Learned
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based on the information provided in the probable cause affidavit and does not represent a final determination of guilt or innocence.
