Published: October 07, 2008 05:35 pm            

Witnesses: Teen fired several shots at car

Tevin Bonner was on house-arrest for prior charge

A 17-year-old could be charged as an adult after allegedly firing six or seven shots at a car outside the McDonald’s at 3000 E. 10th St. in Jeffersonville.

Tevin Xavier Bonner reportedly left the Jeffersonville High School football game Sept. 26 and met up with friends at the nearby McDonald’s. After a verbal altercation involving 19-year-old Davron Brownlee in the parking lot, Bonner fired six or seven shots at the vehicle Brownlee was in as it drove away, according to witnesses cited in a police report.

The vehicle reportedly had been shot five times. Police were dispatched to the scene about 9:55 p.m. They found .45 caliber casings in the parking lot.

Witnesses did not know exactly what caused the altercation, but Bonner’s girlfriend told police that Brownlee threatened her boyfriend, saying the Bonners think they are “so hard” and that he was going to go home to get a pistol.

Brownlee admitted to police that he said “you’re not the only one with a gun” after Bonner said he had a gun, the report states.

Another witness said Bonner had been showing a handgun off to friends at the football game.

Erin Bojorquez, public relations specialist for Greater Clark County Schools, said administrators were not aware of the allegation that a handgun was brought to the football game.

Prosecutor Steve Stewart said a new law will prohibit him from charging Bonner immediately as an adult.

“We can no longer have juveniles be direct filed into court as an adult,” he said.

Prosecutors will have to charge him in Superior Court No. 1 as a juvenile and then seek permission to try him as an adult.

While nothing has been filed by the prosecution in this case, an arrest warrant was issued for Bonner on Thursday after he failed to show up for a prehearing conference in a separate case. As of press time, he had not been arrested.

In August, Bonner was charged as a juvenile with class D felony receiving stolen property. On Sept. 3, Bonner was released to his father’s custody and placed on house arrest.

Stewart said the younger Bonner likely will be charged with a criminal recklessness charge and possibly even attempted murder.

Bonner’s family also was involved in a hospital assault from March 2007.

Thomas Bonner Sr. and two of his sons were accused of attacking several members of the emergency room staff at Clark Memorial Hospital. A jury found the elder Bonner guilty of two battery charges — class D felony and class A misdemeanor. He was sentenced to 3 1/2 years of probation.

Two of his sons were also sentenced as juveniles on battery charges relating to that incident. It was not immediately clear if Tevin is one of the sons involved, although his age would indicate that is possible.

A phone call was placed to a number listed for Bonner or the Bonners in the police report, however the voice mail system that answered was full and would not accept messages.

        

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