Former Warsaw Patrolman Arrested for Threats to Kill Police Chief
Posted
Aaron Organ-aorgan@timesuniononline.com
A former Warsaw Police Department patrolman faces nine felony charges after authorities say he made threats to kill Warsaw Police Chief Scott Whitaker and other officers while armed with a rifle and a bayonet knife.
Alvin D. Dials, 52, of 3216 S. Oak St., Warsaw, who resigned from the police department in February 2010 “due to medical reasons,” faces a single Class C felony intimidation with a deadly weapon charge, as well as seven Class D felony intimidation charges and a Class D felony resisting law enforcement count. He was arrested Tuesday and booked into Kosciusko County Jail on a $250,000 bond.
According to Dials’ probable cause affidavit, Dials’ wife called 911 several times July 13 saying that her husband “was armed with a firearm” ... “driving his vehicle around Kosciusko County looking for an officer to kill and then kill himself.” His wife told dispatchers that he was looking for Whitaker in particular, the affidavit said.
Another man called 911 and said he had spoken to Dials and that Dials told him, as well, that he was going to kill Whitaker, the affidavit said.
As officers began to search for Dials, Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Chad Hill spoke with Dials’ wife, who was able to call Dials. Dials said he was at Indiana State Trooper Timothy Carpenter’s house and that he was fine, “but the trooper was not,” the affidavit said. Police then stormed upon Carpenter’s home, the affidavit said, where they found Dials’ vehicle.
The affidavit said Carpenter, who was unharmed, was able to talk Dials into handing over a black Bushmaster .223 rifle and a bayonet knife as police surrounded the scene.
With police around him, Dials reportedly refused to get out of his vehicle, telling officers he had additional weapons inside the car, the affidavit said. Dials then backed up his vehicle, prompting officers to maneuver their squad cars to block the path. He then crashed the vehicle and officers were able to take Dials into custody, the affidavit said.
Once outside the vehicle, the affidavit said Dials pointed at four officers and said if he was armed, he’d have killed them. He threatened to kill all the officers on the scene, the affidavit said.
Inside Dials’ car, police found four empty rifle magazines, a full rifle magazine and 59 rifle cartridges.
Dials had been a Warsaw Police patrolman since 1991.
