Clayburn
Attempted murder as a Level 1 felony is just one of the charges filed against a local man accused of firing shots at his ex-wife and a neighbor.
Brent J. Clayburn, 59, of 3975 Offshore Drive is also charged with criminal confinement while armed with a deadly weapon as a Level 3 felony; two counts of criminal recklessness while armed with a deadly weapon, both Level 6 felonies; and domestic battery as a Class A misdemeanor.
As of Friday, Clayburn was in the Bartholomew County Jail. Bond has been set at $2 million by Judge Kelly Benjamin, who will oversee the case in Bartholomew Circuit Court.
The incident resulting in Clayburn’s arrest began at about 10:30 p.m. Sunday, police reports state. Clayburn’s ex-wife was at her home in the 2900 block of Silver Fox Drive when her doorbell rang, according to a probable cause affidavit.
When the woman saw it was her ex-husband, she allowed him in.
“As soon as Clayburn came inside, he punched her and said something to the effect of, ‘One of us is going to die tonight’,” according to the affidavit.
After the woman escaped into the garage and tried to get outside through an overhead door, Clayburn grabbed her by the hair and tried to pull her back inside the house, the affidavit states. However, the ex-wife managed to pull away from him and began running toward a male neighbor who came after hearing the woman screaming, court documents state.
“As she did, Clayburn fired multiple shots at them,” according to the affidavit.
The neighbor told police that he yelled “Hey!” in an effort to get Clayburn to stop chasing the female victim. Nevertheless, multiple shots were fired at the two before they found safety inside the neighbor’s house. As police began to arrive, Clayburn fled inside his ex-wife’s residence, the affidavit states.
Columbus police officers, including members of the SWAT team, set up a perimeter around the house where the suspect was holed up, the detective wrote. But after negotiators made contact with Clayburn, he eventually came outside and surrendered without incident, the affidavit states.
A search of the residence resulted in three handguns and a collapsible .22-caliber rifle being confiscated, according to the affidavit. Kendrick said officers also found two extra ammunition magazines and a backpack containing several boxes of extra ammunition. All of the firearms-related items belonged to Clayburn, according to court documents.
Investigators recovered eight bullet casings from the woman’s property. The detective wrote that seven bullet holes were found in the garage door of the neighbor’s home.
Online court records show the couple were granted a divorce last January. However, a legal battle has continued over financial matters.
