A Thorntown man allegedly fled the scene as deputies attempted to serve a warrant, causing Thorntown Elementary to close its doors for the safety of teachers, students and staff earlier this afternoon.
On Dec. 17, Boone County deputies were reportedly on a warrant service around the 600 block of West Plum Street in Thorntown where Steven Coffman, 52, of Thorntown was wanted on numerous charges including failure to appear, with the warrant being approved on Dec. 10 in the Boone County Court. Original cases were also active for charges of possession of methamphetamine, resisting law enforcement, theft of property between $750 and $50,000 and more.
According to reports, when deputies attempted to take Coffman into custody, he fled the area just after 12 p.m. Due to him fleeing the scene, Thorntown Elementary was placed on a “lockout,” lockdown situation at 12:07 p.m., only four minutes following the reports of him fleeing the initial scene.
Deputies, with assistance from the Whitestown Metropolitan Police Department K-9 Unit, were reportedly able to search the area and locate Coffman after a forced entry into a residence at 1:38 p.m. Thorntown Elementary School lifted its “lockout” at 1:40 p.m.
No further information has been released regarding the situation as of 5 p.m. today, Dec. 17.