A 47-year-old Lander man is being charged with one count of battery, one count of unlawful entry into an occupied structure, and one count of interference with a peace officer.
On December 19th, 2018 the Lander Police Department were dispatched to a residence in Lander for a fight.
When LPD arrived, a woman let police into an apartment and pointed to a man laying on the floor. The man was identified as Ronald Carpenter. According to the woman, Carpenter was not supposed to be in the residence.
In court documents, LPD recorded Carpenter shouting at the woman things like, “F*** You B****.” LPD said Carpenter then said, “F*** You” to the police officers while rolling on the floor.
Carpenter then stood on his feet and began acting aggressively toward law enforcement. As LPD tried to restrain the man, he continued resisting and cursing at police. During the scuffle, officers pulled knives off of a countertop to keep them away from Carpenter’s reach. A taser was taken out of its holster by a police officer but never used. LPD were eventually able to handcuff Carpenter.
After his arrest, the homeowner advised police that Carpenter had knocked on her door and “barged in.” She said he was, “unsteady on his feet and fell into the TV and TV stand and just laid there cursing.” The homeowner called another female to the household to let her know that Carpenter was inside. The other female arrived, and told police that Carpenter said to her, “I’m going to f***ing kill you b****.” He then grabbed her by the neck-area of her hoodie and pushed her against the door. Carpenter began hitting the female. In self-defense, the woman being attacked grabbed a pan next to the front door and hit Carpenter with the pan until he let her go. At that point, Carpenter went into the kitchen and laid down on the floor.
Lander Police noted in court documents that there were red marks on the victim’s neck and lower chin.
After a records check, LPD revealed that the homeowner had an order of protection against the man and a no-contact order issued in 2017 for a period of 5 years.
If convicted on all charges, Carpenter could face up to 11 years 6 months of imprisonment and fines of up to $11,500.
On February 5th the preliminary hearing for Carpenter was waived and the matter will be transferred to District Court for a later arraignment.
All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.