Luke A. Bradshaw, 36, of Boonville was sentenced Friday morning on charges of Possession of a Firearm by a Serious Violent Felon as a Level 4 Felony and Possession of Methamphetamine While in Possession of a Firearm as a Level 5 Felony in the Spencer Circuit Court. Bradshaw entered into a plea and sentencing agreement with Spencer County Prosecutor Dan Wilkinson on March 2nd and was sentenced by Spencer Circuit Court Judge Jon Dartt to 9 years at the Indiana Department of Correction with 5 years executed and 4 years suspended to probation.
9 Years, 5 Years Executed.
Bradshaw was arrested February 16, 2017 when Indiana State Police Master Trooper Trey Lytton responded to assist Spencer County Sheriff’s Deputy Ron Higginbottom on a call of a man passed out in a vehicle at the Denny’s parking lot near I-64 in Dale. As Trooper Lytton approached, he observed Bradshaw in the driver’s seat with the engine running and identified him as Luke A. Bradshaw of Boonville. During the encounter, Deputy Higginbottom noticed a handgun case in the passenger seat of the vehicle. When Deputy Higginbottom asked if there was a gun in the case, Bradshaw stated that he wasn’t allowed to have a gun and appeared to conceal his hands on his right side. During a search of the vehicle, Trooper Lytton and Deputy Higginbottom located a Ruger 9mm handgun, a syringe containing methamphetamine, a glass pipe containing methamphetamine, oxycodone, and other prescription pills.
Bradshaw was arrested and charged with several felonies including Possession of Methamphetamine While in Possession of a Firearm and Possession of a Firearm by a Serious Violent Felon due to Bradshaw’s prior conviction of Dealing in Methamphetamine in Vanderburgh County in 2009. Bradshaw has been held at the Spencer County Law Enforcement Center on a $20,000 cash bond and will now be transferred to the Indiana Department of Correction to begin serving his prison sentence.
According to Prosecuting Attorney, Dan Wilkinson, “This case arose thanks to an alert member of the public reporting suspicious activity and from the actions of law enforcement officers who noticed the gun case in the passenger seat and asked questions. Cooperation between the public and law enforcement and between law enforcement agencies is vital to increasing public safety and this case is an example of that type of cooperation working well and leading to a positive result.”
Spencer County Prosecutor Dan Wilkinson encourages members of the public to report suspicious activity. Tips and information can be provided anonymously by calling the Spencer County Crime Tip Line at (800) 615-6088 or by submitting information online at spencoprosecutor.org.
