HANCOCK COUNTY — A man who shot himself after sparking a domestic disturbance that turned into an hours-long ordeal involving the county SWAT team last December was given a lengthy prison term this week.
Brian Allen Abney, 40, Greenwood, originally faced several felony charges, including a Level 4 felony count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon and a Level 6 felony count of pointing a firearm.
As part of a plea agreement, settled on in late August, Abney was given a total 20-year sentence with 20 years to be executed in prison. After reviewing the terms of the plea agreement, Judge D.J. Davis handed down the sentence on Wednesday, Oct. 20, in Superior Court 1.
According to the agreement, Abney agreed to plead guilty to the Level 4 felony, which carries a 10-year sentence; and the Level 6 felony, which carries a two-year sentence, with the terms running concurrently. He was also was given an additional 10 years as a habitual offender for the Level 4 felony.
The other charges against Abney, which included a Level 3 felony count of criminal confinement while armed with a deadly weapon; two Level 5 felonies for intimidation and carrying a handgun with a prior felony conviction, as well as a Class A misdemeanor count of domestic battery, were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
Abney was recommended to take part in the Recovery While Incarcerated program that, if completed, will give him the right to request a modification eight years after the sentencing, the plea agreement states.
The charges stem from an incident that began on the evening of Dec. 10, 2020, when sheriff’s deputies were called to a residence in the 4400 block of Fortville Pike on a report of a dispute between a man and a woman involving a handgun. A woman who emerged from the home told deputies that a man, later determined to be Abney, was still inside, was armed and that he had pointed a gun at her and threatened to shoot her.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed in support of the charges, deputies tried repeatedly over several hours to contact Abney. Finally, members of the Hancock County Joint Tactical Team entered the home and eventually found Abney in a crawl space.
Officers fired several pepper-ball rounds into the crawl space and heard a gunshot, prompting them to pull back and order the man to come out, the affidavit said. Abney emerged bleeding from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the face before being taken into custody. A handgun was later found in the crawl space. Abney was treated at a hospital for the wound.
In all, the standoff lasted about eight hours.
Abney has been in the county jail since his arrest and will get credit for time served, according to the plea agreement.
