Two EPD officers were injured while attempting to serve two felony warrants, three people arrested

NEWS RELEASE

Evansville Police Officers were called to an apartment at 1108 Parrett St around 4:15 Saturday afternoon for a narcotics complaint. Officers were able to determine two people involved in the complaint had active Felony warrants for their arrests.

Officers arrived and spoke with several people in the alley outside of the apartment door. While speaking with them, police say the door partially opened and they saw one of the wanted suspects, Johntavis Matlock, inside the doorway and removed him from the apartment and handcuffed him.

While officers were arresting Matlock, police report his sister interfered with the arrest and assaulted an officer when the officer was picking up money and a phone that Johntavis had dropped in the alley and Jeanetta Jonta Matlock stepped on the officer’s hand causing a laceration. Police say she had already been told she could not get the items from JoHntavis but she told him to drop them on the ground and kick them towards her anyway. According to police, she then assaulted the officer who was trying to pick up the items. When the officer attempted to arrest her, she reportedly began resisting arrest while holding a small child and refused to hand her over to a family member who was standing next to her. The officer gave several instructions for her to hand the child over to the family member, but police report she continued to use the child as a shield to prevent the officer from taking her into custody and the family member refused to take the child. The report says a bystander finally took the child and the officer tried to arrest Jeannetta, but She continued to resist and struck the officer. Even after the officer got her down on the ground, police say she continued to resist until other officers arrived and assisted in placing her into handcuffs.

While JEANETTA was fighting with the officer, authorities indicate JOHNTAVIS continued to be uncooperative and tried to pull away from an officer event though he was in handcuffs. At one point during the struggle, he told his sister to run from the officer.

While JOHNTAVIS and JEANETTA were resisting the officers, police report the other person at the address who had a felony warrant came outside and tried to leave the area. According to police, SAHSHA DRAKE was carrying a car seat and tried to leave with an infant and when she was confronted by arriving officers, she also refused to give her infant to the family member. Officers took custody of the infant and took her into custody without further incident. During this portion of the incident, JOHNTAVIS lied to officers about DRAKES identity to try and help her avoid arrest.

According to the report, the officers received injuries from the struggle on the concrete.One officer had scratches on his neck and hand that JENAETTA caused when she assaulted him during her arrest. The second officer also suffered a sprained thumb while trying to control JOHNTAVIS. Neither officer required medical treatment at the time of the arrests.

A case worker from CPS was called to the scene and the children were placed with a family member.

JOHNTAVIS MATLOCK was arrested on a Felony warrant issued out of Coffee County Tennessee and Misdemeanor Resisting Arrest.

JEANETTA MATLOCK was arrested for Felony Battery with Injury on a Public Safety Officer, Felony Resisting Law Enforcement, Felony Neglect of a Dependent, Disorderly Conduct, and a Misdemeanor warrant.

SASHA DRAKE was arrested for her Felony warrant.

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