The Washington County Sheriff’s says they still can’t find the knife that a teenager allegedly pulled on a Lincoln police officer after a high speed chase on Feb. 6.
“At this point, a knife has not been found,” said Kelly Cantrell with the sheriff’s office Wednesday.
Lincoln Police Officer Chris Williams responded to a suspicious vehicle call around 11:10 p.m. Monday when the driver of that car sped away from the scene, nearly striking Officer Williams’ police cruiser, according to a police report.
Police didn’t release the teenager’s name. But the boy’s mother, Cindy Barlett, identified him as 17-year-old Justin Hellyer to 5NEWS.
According to police, the officer caught up with Hellyer and he led them on a high speed chase until he lost control and crashed on Rheas Community Road near Lincoln Lake. Officer Williams chased Hellyer on foot into a nearby wooded area and says he saw a knife in his hand, so he shot him in the left leg.
Barlett says her son denies having a knife.
“He said he did flee from them, he didn’t stop when they asked him to stop, but he said that there was no knife involved at all,” Barlett says.
Officer Williams has been placed on paid administrative leave while an investigation is conducted by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
The department’s findings will be forwarded to Washington County Prosecutor John Threet who will decide if the officer’s actions were justified.
Hellyer has been charged with Felony Fleeing and Aggravated Assault.
Hellyer was taken to Washington Regional Medical Center and treated for his wounds. Barlett says her son could be out of the hospital as soon as Thursday. From there he will be taken to the Juvenile Detention Center.
Barlett told 5NEWS she was frustrated because police wouldn’t let her see her son after it happened. But Chief Deputy Jay Cantrell says even though Hellyer is in the hospital, he is still in custody. Therefore, deputies follow the same guidelines they would if he were at the jail.
Tuesday afternoon she was allowed a brief visitation under supervision. Barlett was able to see her son for just ten minutes but she says that was more than enough time to hear his side of the story.
“He was crying,” Barlett says. “He was hurting. He was remorseful. I mean he knew that he had messed up.”
Barlett says she hopes dash cam video and audio of that night will shed light on what really happened.
“I just want someone to be able to view that and see if he is indeed telling the truth that it was an uncalled for shooting,” Barlett says.
Hellyer is expected to make a full recovery. The shot pierced his thigh, but didn’t hit any arteries or bones. While Barlett admits her son could have made a better choice, she believes the officer could have as well.
“I want to go forward,” Barlett says. “I want to get justice for him. I mean I know that he’s going to be in trouble for the things that he did wrong but there was more than just him that done wrong.”
