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Attempted Murder Charges Filed Against Warsaw Man After Sunday Night Standoff

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The man taken into custody after a standoff with police Sunday night faces a charge of attempted murder after police found a journal he reportedly kept for about two months.

John William Kenney, 49, of 1504 E. Market St., Warsaw, allegedly held a gun to his wife's head after making her lie down on a bed. After a struggle, Tracy L. Bloom-Kenney was able to leave the bedroom and, while running from the house, saw her husband pointing a gun at her and heard the gun "click" twice.

According to court documents, Kenney apparently believed his wife was having an affair and kept a spiral-bound journal with details of an "investigation" he conducted regarding his suspicions. The journal's last entry was made the day before the incident and notes also found by police indicate that Kenney was planning to kill his wife and himself. The attempted murder charge is a Class A felony punishable by 20 to 50 years in prison.

During an investigation into this matter, police also located notes reportedly written by Kenney. One note, signed "John," asks forgiveness for "this awful thing I have done," and asks another family member to "take care of my estate," according to the probable cause affidavit filed Thursday afternoon in Kosciusko Superior Court I.

The journal also contains writings requesting forgiveness from Kenney's family.

While interviewing Kenney at Kosciusko County Jail, police said he admitted that he "messed up" and that he talked about his suspicions about his wife before he requested an attorney and the interview was terminated.

A search of the Kenney home the night of the incident turned up seven rifles, a shotgun and a cap pistol, but two handguns allegedly used during the threats to Bloom-Kenney were not found in the residence. Further investigation led police to find the two automatic handguns - a Ruger .22-caliber and a Ruger .45-caliber - Monday morning under a storage shed behind the Kenney home. Bloom-Kenney reportedly identified the weapons as the ones used during the incident Sunday night.

The written evidence was found in Kenney's home on Tuesday.

When police were called to the residence Sunday, Bloom-Kenney was at a neighbor's house and Kenney refused to come out of his residence for about 30 minutes, during which time police reportedly heard a gunshot from inside the home. A roll top desk was found damaged by a shotgun blast after Kenney surrendered and police entered the home.

Kenney also is charged with criminal confinement while armed with a deadly weapon, a Class B felony; criminal recklessness while armed with a deadly weapon, a Class D felony; and battery, a Class B misdemeanor. He is being held without bond in the KCJ.

Bloom-Kenney filed for divorce from Kenney on Thursday.