TIPP CITY — A Tipp City woman was arraigned on Tuesday in connection with an incident involving a Tipp City police officer firing his service weapon at a suspect after the suspect threatened the officer with what was later discovered to be a toy gun painted black.
Lucy M. Lehnsherr, 29, was arraigned on fifth-degree felony aggravated menacing in Miami County Municipal Court. Lehnsherr entered a plea of not guilty.
She was booked in the Miami County Jail on Monday afternoon, and on Tuesday, her bond was set at $50,000.
Lehnsherr is accused of pointing a firearm, which was later found to be fake, at a Tipp City police officer. According to Municipal Court records, the officer believed the firearm was real and fired at Lehnsherr first. Lehnsherr was not hit and was not injured during the incident.
The incident began on Thursday, March 5, at approximately 1 a.m., on a report of a female subject inside Tony’s Bada Bing on the 100 block of East Main Street “loading a handgun.” According to a previous press release from the Tipp City Police Department, the caller reported the woman “was highly upset and put the handgun into her purse” and was walking toward the interstate.
Tipp City police officers responded to the area, where an officer located the suspect, who then pointed a handgun at the officer. According to the press release, the officer “made several attempts to talk to the female and order her to drop the weapon.” The woman did not respond to the officer’s orders and fled to a “hiding spot” in the area of South Second Street. The officer followed the suspect, who raised the handgun at the officer again. The officer fired one round, which did not strike the suspect. The suspect then dropped the weapon.
The suspect was detained without injury, and she was transported to a local hospital for evaluation. A toy handgun painted black was located at the scene.
According to court records obtained on Tuesday, video footage from body cameras and from a camera on a business wall where the incident took place “clearly shows” Lehnsherr pointing “the firearm several times at the officer.” The full report was not available due to the incident still being under investigation. The court records obtained Tuesday note that the document “is for charging purposes only.” Public records requests are currently pending with the Tipp City Police Department.
Lehnsherr is continuing to be held in the Miami County Jail. A preliminary hearing for Lehnsherr is currently scheduled for March 19.
The officer who fired his service weapon during this incident has not yet been identified. Deputy Chief Greg Adkins of the Tipp City Police Department said the officer involved in the incident has been placed on paid administrative leave and an internal administrative investigation is being completed, which is protocol.
