On April 1 at approximately 3:04 a.m., the Wapello County Sheriff’s Department was dispatched to the 500 block of North Green Street in Ottumwa to assist in the execution of a valid search warrant.
According to a criminal complaint, fully marked and certified law enforcement officers were making entry into the residence when 43-year-old Joshua Heilman, of Ottumwa, fled into another room.
Court documents state that Heilman then retrieved a large speaker filled with various objects, including pieces of concrete, and threw it at officers. The speaker allegedly struck one officer in the leg.
Authorities report that Heilman then armed himself with a large blunt object, later identified as a bamboo sword, and began swinging it at officers.
Heilman was subsequently taken into custody and transported to the Wapello County Jail. He was later released.
Heilman faces the following charges:
- Assault on persons in certain occupations (use/display of a weapon), a Class C felony
- Interference with official acts involving a dangerous weapon, a Class D felony
- Assault on persons in certain occupations, an aggravated misdemeanor
- The charges are based on information contained in the criminal complaint and court records.
