INDIANAPOLIS -- A 20-year veteran of the Indianapolis Fire Department has been arrested on domestic battery charges.
Lt. Kelly White, 46, was arrested Sunday on the following charges:
- Criminal confinement
- Three counts of domestic battery
- Three counts of battery resulting in bodily injury
- Three counts of domestic battery offense committed in presence of child less than 16 years old
- Three counts of battery in the presence of a child use when victim is a member of the household
A spokesperson with IFD said the department learned of the arrest from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
According to court documents, White was arrested when his wife ran to an off-duty IMPD officer's house, bleeding from her nose. She told police that White assaulted her at their house.
White's wife told police he was verbally abusing her in a hallway and when she tried to leave, she flailed her arms in an attempt to get away. When she did that, she accidentally hit him with her arm or shoulder, which enraged him, court documents say, leading to the attack.
White's children (ages 7 and 5) were interviewed by police. They said they saw blood on their mother's face and heard her screaming.
White's wife told police he has been abusing her for the past 16-17 years.
According to official documents, then he was arrested, he told police "I didn't touch that woman ... She hit me. She hit me in the jaw."
When police asked him if he wanted to give a statement about what happened, White said, "Yeah, she battered me with crap and then struck me with a closed fist while she was flailing her arms. She needs to go to jail too. I want her to go to jail if I'm going. ... She battered me -- I didn't touch that woman and I had my back up against a wall."
The arresting officer noted that White is 6-foot-2 and about 230-240 pounds, while his wife is about 5-foot-4 and about 115 pounds.
IFD released the following statement, which says, in part:
We are monitoring the pending investigation. The IFD has General Orders, Policies and Procedures that address this type of issue and will be followed up with upon additional information being made available.
