William Ingalls

Name of Accused:
Ingalls, William Austin

Date of Arrest:
10/25/2024

Charges For Arrest:
Aggravated Assault, Other Weapon
Reckless Conduct
Cruelty To Child, See/hear/commit Force Fel/bat/fv
Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]
On October 25, 2024 at approximately 2112 hours, Deputy Broling and Deputy Scott responded to [200 BLOCK] E Ezzard Ave in reference to a disturbance in progress. This is what occurred.
When Deputy Broling and Scott arrived on scene, Deputy Broling saw a male, later identified as [WITNESS #1], carrying a chainsaw to an outbuilding and a male in a green shirt, later identified as William Ingalls, standing in the driveway. When Deputy Broling got out of his vehicle, he started speaking with William. Deputy Broling observed William to have slurred speech and bloodshot eyes indicating that he was possibly intoxicated. William turned around and put his hands behind his back and told Deputy Broling he knew he was going to jail. As Deputy Broling got closer to him he could smell an odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from his person. Deputy Broling also saw a group of people standing under the carport and asked Deputy Scott to stand with William while he spoke with the other people.
One of the females was identified as [VICTIM #1]. She was holding her 8 week old son, Juvenile 1. She was there with her husband, [VICTIM #2]. There was also [WITNESS #1] and [WITNESS #2] standing under the carport. Deputy Broling could see that [VICTIM #1] was stressed out and frightened due to her facial expressions. He asked [VICTIM #1] what happened and she stated that her and her husband had just gotten back to the house. They are currently staying at the above address while they get back on their feet. When they exited the vehicle, William was under the carport. He accused [VICTIM #2] of smoking inside the vehicle and [VICTIM #2] stated he did not smoke inside the vehicle. William then grabbed a black and red Hyper Tough chainsaw that was in the carport, took the blade cover off, started it up and revved it as he walked towards, [VICTIM #2], [VICTIM #1] and Juvenile 1. [WITNESS #1] heard the commotion from inside the house and came outside. He and [VICTIM #2] were able to get the chainsaw away from William and then called law enforcement. [VICTIM #1] stated she thought William was going to hurt her and Juvenile 1. [WITNESS #2] was present and saw the incident happen there in the carport.
Deputy Broling then went and spoke with William. Prior to asking him any questions, he read him his Miranda Rights. William stated he understood his rights and wished to speak with Deputy Broling. William stated he had been drinking bourbon since 11 am that morning. He stated drank about half of a fifth. Deputy Broling then asked him about when [VICTIM #2], [VICTIM #1] and Juvenile 1 got back to the house. He stated he thought [VICTIM #2] was smoking in the car and got mad about that. He stated he then picked up the chainsaw, started it, and walked toward them. William stated his intention was to scare them.
Deputy Broling then placed William in custody and placed him in the back of his patrol car. Deputy Broling collected the chainsaw as evidence and placed it in his patrol car as well. Deputy Broling provided all parties on scene with a report card and advised them to call the Sheriff’s Office if they had any questions. Deputy Broling then transported William to the Whitfield County Detention Center. Upon arrival, he was turned over to jail staff for booking. William blew a .125 on the Portable Breathalyzer Test in booking upon arrival. Deputy Broling charged William with OCGA 16-5-21 Aggravated Assault, OCGA 16-5-60 (B) Reckless Conduct and OCGA 16-5-70(D)(2) Cruelty to Child 3rd Degree on warrantless arrest #69643.
[End of Narrative]