GREENVILLE – The report of gun fire at a residence in the 2000 block of State Route 571 West led to the arrest of two subjects on Tuesday.
The incident began when an officer with the Adult Parole requested assistance from Greenville Police Department in reference to parolee Steven Ressler.
The parole officer had received a call stating Ressler was discharging firearms at his residence — a violation of the terms of his parole.
The parole officer also contacted the Darke County Sheriff’s Office to assist with Ressler, who according to the police report is known to have violent tendencies.
While officers were on their way to Ressler’s residence, they received a call from dispatch advising they had received information that Ressler left his residence in a black vehicle and was traveling east on State Route 571.
The officers passed the described vehicle, turned around and began following the vehicle. A check of the registration showed the vehicle belonged to Ressler’s girlfriend.
As they were following Ressler, officers also were able to see three individuals were inside the vehicle.
While following the vehicle, officers learned Ressler’s landlord had notified police that Ressler had been firing guns and had been seen placing firearms inside a black vehicle.
At that point, the Greenville officer following Ressler requested a marked unit to come to the area in order to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle.
A traffic stop was conducted in the 800 block of East Russ Road. All three occupants were ordered out of the vehicle and each were individually detained.
Ressler was confirmed to be the driver of the vehicle. A female passenger was in the front seat with Treighton Mendenhall as the rear passenger. During a search of the vehicle, several firearms were located, including an assault rifle lying on the back seat directly beside where Mendenhall had been sitting. The assault rifle was loaded with an ammunition magazine and another round of ammunition was loaded into the chamber.
Ressler was transported to the Darke County Jail for a parole violation.
Mendenhall said all of the firearms inside the vehicle belong to him and said he was not aware he could not transport a loaded assault rifle in a vehicle. Further investigation revealed Mendenhall is under indictment in Randolph County, Ind. for felony possession of methamphetamine. Mendenhall was arrested and charged with improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle. The female passenger and the vehicle were released. The firearms and ammunition located in the vehicle were transported to the Greenville Police Department and secured as evidence.
