Wellston Officer Resigns After Gun Incident At Lincoln Co. Jail

The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office launched an investigation after a loaded gun was brought into the jail. On Monday, Wellston Police confirmed that the officer involved has resigned.

Video released by the sheriff's office last week shows a DUI suspect pulling out a loaded weapon during the booking process.

On September 4, Wellston police responded to a single-vehicle accident near the intersection of 3330 Road and U.S. Highway 66. While on the scene, officers arrested the driver on DUI complaints. According to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s office, the suspect, Jerry Lorenz was brought in for booking when he pulled a gun.

“It was a North American mini revolver 22 magnum five-shot,” said Sgt. Aaron Bennett with the sheriff’s office.

According to a probable cause affidavit, the arresting officer asked Lorenz if he had “any guns, knives, bombs, or dangerous instruments.” And Lorenz answered “no,” court documents show.

To be transparent, the sheriff’s office released the surveillance video of the incident. In the video, you can see after the detention officer removes the shackles from Lorenz, he quickly turns around and points the gun at him. Sgt. Bennett says the suspect pulled the trigger at least twice.

“There were a couple of times he was pointing the pistol at our jailer’s head and neck area from pretty close range ultimately it could have been very bad,” Sgt. Bennett said.

The gun never went off and the jailer is okay. The suspect’s extended family says they weren’t surprised by the incident. “He already knew what he was going to do,” said Dennis Morris.

Morris says his wife’s cousin is Jerry Lorenz. The family lives next door and Morris says was constantly causing problems. “It's just one thing after another,” Morris said. “Shooting guns close to us when my kids are playing outside.”

As he deals with his legal battles with the family, he's now concerned for his town after viewing the video. “I just want to make sure our police department is trained and can handle stuff that's coming down the line,” Morris said.

Wellston Police said in a statement that the “suspect threatened jail staff in an attempt to escape the facility.” The statement also noted the officer attempted to “radio for help,” and then, “stood by while the detention officer and suspect continued to struggle.” The statement continues to say, “The reluctance to engage when confronted by a hostile suspect during a critical incident is not within the policy, standards, or expectations of the Wellston Police Department.” Police say the officer involved was placed on leave on September 4 and has since resigned.

Meanwhile, along with DUI, Lorenz now faces other charges including assault with a dangerous weapon and attempt to kill. He remains in jail on a $92,000 bond.

The full statement from Wellston Police can be read below: