BREAKING NEWS: Charges filed in road rage incident

Criminal charges have been filed and an arrest warrant issued in connection with an incident of road rage that unfolded last Wednesday night in eastern Greene County.

David R. Holmes, Route 6, Bloomfield, was charged Monday in Greene Circuit Court with criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon -- a class B felony, intimidation -- a class C felony; and a misdemeanor charge of criminal recklessness.

Judge Erik Allen ordered an arrest warrant to be issued.

The incident unfolded near County Road 50N, west of County Road 650E in the American Bottoms area of Center Township shortly after 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Holmes told Greene County Sheriff's Department Det. George Dallaire that he received a cell phone call from his girlfriend, Lacy Bowersock, who told him she was being closely followed near Ridgeport by a vehicle that was "right up on her bumper."

"She was scared and did not know what to do," Holmes told police.

Holmes and Bowersock live near Ridgeport on County Road 650E -- north of County Road 25N.

Holmes told police that after the call, he got up, put on his clothes and grabbed a .45 caliber handgun.

The suspect then got into his flatbed truck and headed toward CR 650E to meet his girlfriend. Holmes says he could see a vehicle stopped at the intersection of CR 25N and CR 650E.

He told his girlfriend to go to the house and call police.

Holmes then drove down to the intersection -- about one-fourth of a mile from his home -- and pulled up along side of the passenger side of a dark-colored sedan.

After a brief verbal exchange, Holmes said the sedan started to pull forward, so he accelerated in front -- blocking its path from going forward.

Holmes told police he then got out of his truck and the driver of the sedan -- Ravi Pal of Bloomington -- told him he was going to kill him, according to the probable cause affidavit filed in court.

"David said he told the driver he wasn't killing anyone and pulled his handgun from his waistband. David said he shot three rounds from his .45 caliber into the ditchbank. David said he never pointed the gun at the sedan or its occupants. David said firing these shots eliminated the threat to him," Det. Dallaire wrote in the probable cause affidavit.

Holmes said Ravi Pal backed up and ran through a ditch to the intersection. Holmes also said two other men ran from the sedan -- yelling for Holmes not to kill them, according to Dallaire.

According to court records, Holmes regrets the actions he took.

"David said he knows now he should have handled this situation differently and that he never should have gone down to the sedan," Dallaire wrote.

Pal and his brother, Arjun Pal had a different version of what happened.

Pal said he had picked up his brother, Arjun "Sonny" Pal at Pinewood Shopping Center after he had closed his convenience store for the evening. The two then headed toward Bloomington when his driver's side mirror shattered just north of the turnoff to Timber Trace subdivision. He said a semi-truck and pickup had passed him when this happened.

Pal immediately turned around so he could follow the truck he thought was responsible for the damage.

After Pal turned around, he did call 911 to report the incident. He stayed on the telephone and talked with the sheriff's dispatcher while he attempted to catch up with the truck that was now about three vehicles in front of him.

The victim said he was able to get behind the pickup as it turned onto a county road and then turned right on another county road.

Pal told the dispatcher that he was able to get a partial license plate number of "4870" before turning onto a dead-end road (CR. 650E and CR. 25N) -- where he stopped and got out of his vehicle to see what the road sign said -- so he could relate that information back to the dispatch center.

While he was out of his vehicle, Pal told police that Holmes pulled his truck up to the passenger side of the vehicle -- breaking off the side mirror and then pulled in front of the car -- blocking his exit.

"Ravi said a man (Holmes) got out of the truck with a gun in his hand, pointed the gun at him and fired. Ravi said the man never said anything to him," Dallaire wrote. "Ravi said he was trying to back up the car at this time, but ended up in the ditch. Ravi said the man fired three times at him and his brother. Ravi said it looked like the man was advancing towards him as he was shooting. Ravi said this is when he and Sonny jumped out of the vehicle and ran off into the darkness, away from the shooter. Ravi said he thought he shooter was about 40 feet from him when he was shooting."

Dallaire also wrote, "Sonny said this incident scared him so much it made him cry. Sonny said he was afraid he was going to die."

The GCSD detective also interviewed Bowersock, who collaborated Holmes' version of the incident leading up the actual confrontation between her boyfriend and the two occupants of the sedan.

She told police that she did not hit Pal's vehicle or threw anything out of her vehicle that would have struck it.

Dallaire concluded in his affidavit that Pal had followed Bowersock until he was able to secure a partial plate number and a road location and then stopped following her. The Pals remained on the 911 call during the entire period he was trying to catch up with Bowersock.

Det. Dallaire said he listened to the 911 tape of the incident and wrote, "At no time could I hear Ravi or Sonny Pal threatened to kill David Holmes or anyone else. The 911 tape of this incident clearly shows the Pals were placed in fear for their lives by David Holmes' actions when the Pals had done nothing to break the law."