Aurora Couple Arrested After Utility Workers Threatened with Firearm, Officers Assaulted

Charges stem from an alleged incident on October 30

Lisa Barker and Bobby Hensley. Photos provided.

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - Criminal charges have been filed against Lisa Barker, 60, and Bobby Hensley, 66, both of Aurora, following a confrontation involving utility workers and law enforcement officers on Friday, October 30. 

Barker faces four felony charges, including three level 5 felonies, after allegedly threatening employees of Southeastern Indiana REMC with a firearm while they were attempting to repair electrical lines. Hensley faces two Level 6 felony charges of Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer and a Class A misdemeanor charge of Resisting Law Enforcement.

According to the probable cause affidavit, officers were dispatched to Barker's residence on East Laughery Creek Road in Aurora after receiving reports of a confrontation between Barker and REMC employees. The utility workers were attempting to address damaged electrical lines when Barker allegedly confronted them over their presence on her property.

Dispatchers received a report that Barker had threatened workers with a handgun. The workers were unable to immediately leave the area because they were dealing with live electrical lines that could not be safely and quickly removed.

One employee told investigators that Barker displayed a small black firearm and questioned whether she needed to shoot someone in the back or head. Another employee, who was elevated in a utility bucket working near the power lines, reported hearing Barker state, "I guess its going to take me putting a bullet in the back of your head for you to get the message."

A third employee reported that Barker asked whether she needed to retrieve her gun to get him off her property. All three workers reported feeling threatened or intimidated by Barker's conduct.

A Dearborn County Sheriff's deputy says Barker acknowledged possessing a firearm. According to the affidavit, Barker was ordered to drop the firearm but instead placed it behind her back in a holster. 

Additional officers arrived at the scene. As officers attempted to take Barker into custody, Hensley allegedly intervened, attempting to push and kick an officer. A physical struggle followed, during which Barker's firearm came out from behind her back. As the struggle ensued, Hensley and another officer collided into a patrol vehicle, causing a large dent in the door. 

Both Barker and Hensley were ultimately taken into custody after officers deployed tasers.

Barker has been charged with:

• Two counts of Intimidation with a Deadly Weapon, Level 5 felonies
• One count of Intimidation, a Level 6 felony
• One count of Resisting Law Enforcement with a Deadly Weapon, a Level 5 felony

Hensley has been charged with:

• Two counts of Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer, Level 6 felonies
• One count of Resisting Law Enforcement, a Class A misdemeanor

An initial hearing is set for today, November 2 before the Honorable F. Aaron Negangard in Dearborn Circuit Court. Barker does have a pending case in Dearborn Superior Court No. 1. The State is seeking to have her bond revoked in that matter.