Mercer County Man Arrested Following Welfare Check and Barricade Incident

MERCER COUNTY — A man was taken into custody Wednesday after a welfare check at a residence along State Route 119 developed into a barricade situation and prompted a countywide request for law enforcement assistance.

Mercer County Sheriff Doug Timmerman told WCSM that someone came to the sheriff’s office with concerns about statements and threats allegedly made by 37-year-old Casey Bowman, along with behavior that may have indicated intoxication.

The person asked deputies to conduct a welfare check at a residence on State Route 119 between St. Henry and Fort Recovery.

Timmerman said Bowman was hiding or barricaded inside a room when deputies arrived. Authorities had also received information that he might be armed.

Deputies issued a Signal 99, a countywide request for law enforcement assistance. Officers from the Fort Recovery and Coldwater police departments responded to assist Mercer County deputies.

Bowman was eventually taken into custody without incident. No injuries were reported.

During the investigation, deputies found a vehicle in the driveway that had been reported stolen from Dayton. A license plate reported stolen from Huber Heights was located inside the vehicle.

That license plate belonged to recent college graduate Samantha Burton, who told WCSM she discovered it missing from her vehicle Wednesday morning while staying at a hotel.

“When I came out to my car yesterday morning, I noticed my license plate had been ripped off,” Burton said.

Burton immediately contacted police and said an officer arrived approximately 15 minutes later. The officer examined the vehicle and attempted to recover fingerprints, but no usable prints were found.

Burton then went to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to obtain a replacement plate and registration tags. Later that evening, she received a call informing her that authorities had recovered the stolen plate.

“I filed a police report, and I’m happy I did,” Burton said.

Her report allowed authorities to identify the plate as stolen when it was located during the Mercer County investigation.

The stolen vehicle was towed to the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office impound lot, where investigators planned to process it for potential evidence.

Timmerman said possible charges will be reviewed by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office. WHIO reported that Bowman was booked into the Mercer County Jail and was being held without bond as of Wednesday night.

The investigation remains ongoing. Any charges filed in the case would be allegations until proven in court.