Ross Morelock Found Guilty of Attempted Murder of Pendleton Police Officer

March 14, 2025

A Madison County Circuit Court 4 jury found Ross Morelock (40 of Anderson) guilty of the Attempted Murder of Pendleton Police Officer Jerry Branson.  The jury also found Morelock guilty of Possession of Cocaine or a Narcotic Drug, a Level 3 felony, and Possession of a Firearm by a Serious Violent Felon, a Level 4 felony.   Following the jury's verdict, Morelock pleaded guilty to the Habitual Offender Enhancement and the Felony Firearm Enhancement.  Judge David Happe set Morelock's sentencing for Tuesday, April 15th at 9:00 am.  Morelock faces a maximum possible sentence of eighty (80) years. 


At trial, the State's case was presented by Chief Deputy Prosecutor Andrew Hanna and Deputy Prosecutor Tyler Piraino.  The case was investigated by Detective Brett Webb of the Anderson Police Department.


Around 2:30 pm on May 7, 2024, Officer Jerry Branson of the Pendleton Police Department was driving on the north side of Anderson attempting to locate a driver from a recent accident that occurred on Interstate 69.  Police officers employed by a municipality have law enforcement authority anywhere in the State of Indiana. See, e.g., Manley v. State, 410 N.E.2d 1338, 1340 (Ind. Ct. App. 1980). Indeed, it is often necessary for local law enforcement officers to leave town, city, or county limits during an investigation. Another officer notified Officer Branson that the driver had been located. Officer Branson was returning to Pendleton when he observed a black Mercedes sedan that matched the license plate number of a vehicle of interest from a separate Pendleton Police Department investigation from May 1, 2024. 


At 2:31 pm on May 7, 2024, Officer Jerry Branson initiated a traffic stop of the black Mercedes sedan at Broadway St. and W. School St. in Anderson, Indiana.  At the time of the traffic stop, Officer Branson was wearing a distinctive uniform and was driving a clearly marked police vehicle. The vehicle pulled into the GetGo gas station at 2500 Broadway St. The traffic stop was captured on video from three separate sources: a security camera from the GetGo gas station, a dash-mounted camera on the Pendleton Police vehicle, and Officer Branson’s body-worn camera.


Officer Branson exited his police vehicle and approached the black Mercedes sedan. The vehicle was occupied by two individuals, Amelia Peters, 23, of Anderson, who was in the driver’s seat, and Ross Morelock, 39, of Anderson, who was in the front passenger seat. Both individuals were persons of interest from the May 1st investigation, although Morelock denied he had identification and provided Officer Branson with a false name and date of birth. At the time of the incident, Morelock also had three active warrants for his arrest, one in Madison County for Nonsupport of a Dependent Child, a Level 6 felony, and two warrants from Fayette County for Dealing in Methamphetamine, a Level 2 felony, and Dealing in Methamphetamine, a Level 4 felony.   

After confirming Peters was one of the individuals he was looking for, Officer Branson asked Peters to exit the vehicle and detained her in handcuffs.  Officer Branson radioed dispatch to advise that he had a subject detained and requested additional units respond to the scene. While waiting for backup, Officer Branson remained near the driver’s side door of the vehicle with Peters to maintain visual contact of Morelock, who remained seated in the front passenger seat of the black Mercedes sedan. 


During the course of the traffic stop, Officer Branson gave three separate loud, verbal commands to Morelock to keep his hands where he could see them.  When Morelock continued to make furtive movements with his hands, Officer Branson gave two additional loud, verbal commands to Morelock to place his hands on the dashboard. When Morelock again disobeyed those commands, Officer Branson drew his department-issued handgun and pointed it at Morelock just before Morelock produced a handgun and pointed it at Officer Branson. 


Officer Branson pushed Peters to the ground for her safety and attempted to discharge his department-issued handgun at Morelock, but the firearm malfunctioned, and he was unable to do. Officer Branson cleared his firearm and reengaged Morelock. A 10-second-long exchange of gunfire ensued where Officer Branson fired four rounds and Morelock fired six rounds. Morelock fired five rounds at Officer Branson, one of which grazed Officer Branson’s shoulder leaving an approximately 1-inch-long surface wound and punctured a hole through his uniform shirt. Morelock exited the passenger side door of the vehicle and placed his handgun under his chin in an upward direction and shot himself in the head.


Officer Branson was treated at Community Hospital Anderson and was released the same day. Morelock was transported by ambulance to a hospital in Indianapolis where and was released approximately one month later. The only injury to Morelock was a single self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.


On May 13, 2024, the Madison County Prosecutor's Office determined Officer Branson's use of force was justified. 


A jury trial was conducted between March 10-13th.  Following twenty minutes of deliberation, a Madison County Circuit Court 4 jury found Ross Morelock guilty of Attempted Murder, a Level 1 felony, Possession of Cocaine or a Narcotic Drug, a Level 3 felony, and Possession of a Firearm by a Serious Violent Felon, a Level 4 felony. 



Madison County Prosecutor's Office News

Jo'Majze Larry Sentenced to 100 Years for Murder and Criminal Organization Enhancement

July 29, 2026
O n July 29, 2026, Judge David Happe sentenced Jo'Majze Larry (15 of Anderson) to an aggregate sentence of 100 years to be executed at the Indiana Department of Correction. In June 2026, Larry was found guilty following a joint trial with co-defendant Rashawn Samuels of the following offenses related to the February 2, 2025, shooting death of 26-year-old Dayla Swain outside Sonny Ray's in Anderson: Count I: Murder, a felony; Count II: Attempted Murder, a Level 1 felony; Count III: Conspiracy to Commit Murder, a Level 2 felony; Count IV: Criminal Organization Activity, a Level 5 felony; and Count V: Dangerous Possession of a Firearm, a Class A misdemeanor. Following the jury's verdict, Larry admitted to the Criminal Organization Enhancement. At sentencing, Judge Happe imposed a sentence of 50 years for Murder enhanced by an additional 50 years for the Criminal Organization Enhancement for an aggregate sentence of 100 years to be executed at the Indiana Department of Correction. Under Indiana law, the criminal organization enhancement is designed to address crimes committed by individuals acting as part of an organized criminal enterprise rather than as isolated offenders. Indiana law recognizes that criminal organizations can pose a greater threat to public safety because they coordinate criminal activity, recruit others to participate in crime, and often commit offenses for financial gain or to further the goals of the organization. To seek this enhancement, the State must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant knowingly or intentionally committed a qualifying offense while acting in association with a criminal organization. A "criminal organization" is generally defined as a group of three or more persons that has as one of its primary purposes the commission of one or more criminal offenses and whose members engage in a pattern of criminal activity. Because the defendant in this case was under the age of 18 at the time the murder was committed, Indiana law provides a unique opportunity to seek judicial review of the sentence after a significant period of incarceration. Under Indiana Code 35-38-1-17(n), an individual sentenced for murder committed while they were a juvenile may file an additional petition for sentence modification without the consent of the prosecuting attorney after serving at least 20 years of the sentence. The 20-year period is based on actual time served and does not include any credit time earned for good behavior or educational programs. It is important to note that this statute does not automatically reduce or shorten the defendant's sentence, nor does it guarantee release after 20 years. Rather, it simply permits the defendant to ask the sentencing court to consider modifying th e sentence. At any such hearing, the prosecutor's office has the opportunity to oppose the request, victims and their families have the right to be notified and heard, and the judge retains complete discretion to grant or deny the petition after considering all relevant facts and circumstances. Larry's co-defendant, Rashawn Samuels, is scheduled to be sentenced on July 30, 2026 where he faces a maximum possible sentence of 176 years. The State's case was presented by Deputy Prosecutors Tyler Piraino and Jesse Miller. The case was investigated by Det. Brett Webb and Det. Cora Garcia of the Anderson Police Department.

Donavan Harris Sentenced to 60 Years for Murder

July 28, 2026
On July 28, 2026, Judge Angela Warner Sims sentenced Donavan Harris (20 of Anderson) to a total of 60 years for the 2023 Murder of 15-year-old Jullian Craig. Judge Sims ordered 50 years to be executed at the Indiana Department of Correction followed by 5 years suspended to formal probation and an additional 5 years suspended to informal probation. On June 3, 2026, a Madison County Circuit Court 1 jury found Harris guilty of: Count I: Murder, a felony; Count II: Attempted Armed Robbery, a Level 3 felony; and Count III: Criminal Confinement, a level 3 felony. All three counts merged for the purposes of sentencing. Harris' charges stem from the shooting death of 15-year-old Jullian D. Craig, who was killed during the commission of an attempted armed robbery on November 24, 2023. The evidence presented at trial proved that Craig was armed with a handgun lying in the backseat of a vehicle driven by Harris, when the pair lured a subject into the vehicle with the promise of paying a debt owed. During an altercation inside the vehicle, the victim of the attempted robbery shot and killed Craig in self-defense. Under the doctrine of "Felony Murder", when someone commits or attempts to commit certain serious felonies, such as robbery, and a death results during the commission of that crime, the participants can be held responsible for the death. The law recognizes that some crimes are so inherently dangerous that those who choose to commit them should be held accountable for the foreseeable consequences thereof, including the loss of human life. At trial, the State's case was presented by Deputy Prosecutors Jennifer Haley and Samanthan Green. The case was investigated by Officer Travis Thompson, formerly of the Anderson Police Department, now employed by the Pendleton Police Department. 

Tony Schoettmer Sentenced to 60 Years for Murder

July 27, 2026
On July 27, 2026, Tony Lee Schoettmer (46 of Anderson) was sentenced to 60 years for the 2025 murder of Jim Gaw. On June 24, 2026, Schoettmer pleaded guilty to the following charges: Count I: Murder, a felony; Count II: Murder, a felony; Count III: Robbery Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, a Level 2 felony; Count IV: Burglary, a Level 4 felony; Count V: Burglary, a Level 5 felony; Count VI: Theft, a Level 5 felony; Count VII: Theft, a Level 5 felony; Count VIII: Auto Theft, a Level 6 felony; Count IX: Theft, a Class A misdemeanor; and Count X: Invasion of Privacy, a Class A misdemeanor. On July 27, 2026, Judge Angela Warner Sims sentenced Schoettmer to a total sentence of 60 years, of which 50 years will be executed at the Indiana Department of Correction, and 10 years will be suspended to formal probation. The State's case was prosecuted by Deputy Prosecutor Jennifer Haley. The case was investigated by Det. Nolan Schaefer of the Anderson Police Department.

Sean Wheatley Convicted of Child Molesting

July 17, 2026
Following a three-day trial, a Madison County Circuit Court I jury found Sean Wheatley (29 of Greenfield) guilty of two counts of Child Molesting, as Level 4 felonies. The jury acquitted Wheatley of a third count of Child Molesting and a charge of Sexual Misconduct with a Minor. Following the jury's verdict, Judge Angela Warner Sims remanded Wheatley into the custody of the Madison County Sheriff's Department and set his sentencing for August 10, 2026 at 10:00 am. Wheatley faces a maximum possible sentence of 24 years. The State's case was presented by Deputy Prosecutor Dan Kopp and Certified Legal Intern Aleyah McCorkle. The case was investigated by Lt. Sean Waterman of the Ingalls Police Department.

Kyree Craver Sentenced to 90 Years for Murder

July 10, 2026
On Thursday, July 9, 2026, Judge David Happe sentenced Kyree Craver (19 of Anderson) to a total sentence of 90 years to be executed at the Indiana Department of Correction. Judge Happe imposed a 45 year sentence for Murder enhanced by an additional 45 year sentence for the Criminal Organization Enhancement. Craver was convicted on May 18, 2026, following a five-day trial, of the following offenses: Count 1: Aiding, Inducing, or Causing Murder, a felony; Count 2: Attempted Murder, a Level 1 felony; Count 3: Conspiracy to Commit Murder, a Level 2 felony; Count 4: Dangerous Possession of a Firearm, a Class A misdemeanor; Count 5: Criminal Organization Activity, a Level 5 felony; and Count 6: Criminal Organization Enhancement. Craver's convictions stem from the February 2, 2025, shooting death of 26-year-old Dayla Swain outside of Sonny Ray's in Anderson. The State's case was presented by Deputy Prosecutors Tyler Piraino and Jesse Miller. The case was investigated by Det. Brett Webb of the Anderson Police Department.
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