Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
A Warsaw man has pled guilty to five criminal charges following a police-involved shooting in Kosciusko County in June 2025.
Lance Allen Walter, 38, Warsaw, pled guilty to battery resulting in bodily injury to a public safety officer and resisting law enforcement with a prior resisting conviction, both level 5 felonies; leaving the scene of an accident with moderate or serious bodily injury and possession of methamphetamine, both level 6 felonies; and operating a vehicle while intoxicated - endangerment, a class A misdemeanor.
Walter was initially charged with attempted murder, a level 1 felony. The meth possession and OWI charges were newly filed by the Kosciusko County Prosecutor's Office.
Walter pled guilty to all of the aforementioned charges in Kosciusko Circuit Court at a change of plea hearing on Monday, March 23. Kosciusko Circuit Court Judge Matthew Buehler did not accept or reject the plea during the hearing.
Part of Walter's agreement states if it is accepted, his initial executed sentence will not exceed 12 years.
Sentencing is set for 8:30 a.m. Monday, April 20.
Affidavit Of Probable Cause
Around 3:30 a.m. June 7, 2025, a Warsaw Police officer attempted to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation in the area of CR 150N and Ind. 13. Walter was identified as the vehicle's driver.
According to court documents, the officer attempted to pull the vehicle over, but Walter failed to stop and fled at a high rate of speed. Dash camera footage from the officer showed Walter's vehicle driving in the opposite lane of travel at a high rate of speed. Later, Walter turned off his vehicle's lights and drove without them as he fled.
During the pursuit, Walter's vehicle turned onto CR 150N and entered a field. Walter's vehicle did a high-speed turn around, sideswiping the officer's vehicle on the driver's side. This caused the driver's side door to close on the officer's leg, causing injury that was later observed as bruises and cuts.
When Walter's vehicle hit the front and driver's side of the officer's vehicle, the officer discharged his service weapon in the direction of Walter's vehicle.
The impact was strong enough to cause the officer's vehicle to spin almost 180 degrees.
After hitting the officer's vehicle, Walter's vehicle entered the field again and became disabled. Walter fled on foot and ran into the field, but a passenger in his vehicle suffered leg and other injuries and was unable to move.
A K9 unit found Walter in the field.
In an interview with police, Walter said he recalled seeing a vehicle approach him and it made him feel "uneasy." He told police he remembered seeing emergency lights but decided to accelerate his vehicle instead of stopping.
Walter also admitted to hitting the police vehicle "real hard."
Walter has a prior unrelated conviction for using a vehicle to resist law enforcement in Starke County in January 2018.
