Four men arrested following shooting outside Marion bar
Four men were arrested after police responded to a report of shots fired last Sunday morning outside of a Marion bar on South Prospect Street.
According to a report released by the Marion Police Department, officers were dispatched to the Frosty Mug bar, 612 S. Prospect St. in Marion, around 12:08 a.m. Sunday after the Marion County Combined Dispatch Center received a call from a patron at the bar who said shots had been fired. Numerous other people also called dispatch to report the incident. A dozen Marion Police officers responded to the bar, according to the report.
Major B.J. Gruber from the Marion Police Department said no one was injured in the shooting. However, multiple vehicles were damaged by the gunfire. Investigators found numerous shell casings at the scene.
Gruber said the shooting that occurred in the parking lot outside the bar was precipitated by an altercation that occurred inside the establishment. He said investigators are still trying to determine who was involved in that initial altercation and who actually fired shots during the subsequent altercation outside of the building.
According to the police report, at least three witnesses reported seeing a white Dodge Charger leaving the bar parking lot after the shooting. Another witness reported seeing a male subject dressed in a gray shirt and white pants running from the bar toward Pizza Hut on Delaware Avenue. He reportedly entered a black sedan of unknown make and model, which then drove away on Superior Street.
Altogether, investigators questioned nearly four dozen people who were at the bar on the night the incident occurred, according to the police report. Investigators are still talking to witnesses, Gruber said.
Numerous private residences and another business are located in close proximity to the Frosty Mug, on either side of the establishment, behind it, and across the street from the building. There were no reports of any property damage being sustained in the surrounding neighborhood.
Police arrested Marion residents Leaunti D. Jefferson II, Jacob C. Kinsey, and Michael V. Freeman Jr., as well as Bucyrus resident James W. Netters Jr. Investigators confiscated handguns from both Jefferson and Kinsey. Freeman and Netters were not armed when they were taken into custody by Marion Police.
All four were booked into the Multi-County Correctional Center in Marion on Sunday morning following the incident. They were all arraigned Tuesday in Marion Municipal Court.
Jefferson, age 24, Marion, was arraigned on one count of carrying a concealed weapon, a first-degree misdemeanor, and one count of obstructing official business, a second-degree misdemeanor. He pleaded not guilty to both charges against him. He is free on bond. Jefferson is scheduled to appear in municipal court at 9:15 a.m. on May 17 for a pre-trial hearing.
Kinsey, age 21, Marion, was arraigned on one count of carrying a concealed weapon, a first-degree misdemeanor; one count of improper handling of a firearm inside a motor vehicle, a first-degree misdemeanor; and one count of receiving stolen property, a first-degree misdemeanor. He pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. He was released on his own recognizance. Kinsey is scheduled to appear in municipal court at 11:30 a.m. on May 9 for a pre-trial hearing.
Freeman, age 23, Marion, was arraigned on one count of disorderly conduct/intoxicated creating a risk of harm, a misdemeanor. He pleaded not guilty to the charge against him. He was released on his own recognizance. Freeman is scheduled to appear in municipal court at 1:30 p.m. on May 10 for a pre-trial hearing.
Netters, age 41, Bucyrus, was arraigned on one count of failure to disclose personal information, a fourth-degree misdemeanor. He pleaded not guilty to the charge. He was released on his own recognizance. Netters is scheduled to appear in municipal court at 10:15 a.m. on April 27 for a pre-trial hearing.
Gruber said the investigation is ongoing.
(All suspects charged in criminal proceedings are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.)
Email: ecarter@gannett.com | Twitter: @AndrewACCarter
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Four men arrested following shooting outside Marion bar
