SALEM, Ind. – On Monday afternoon, the Salem Police Department, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, and Indiana State Police (ISP), upon further investigation and discussions with the Washinton County Prosecutor’s Office, decided to not press any formal charges against Blake Howard Henry. He had been preliminarily charged in the death of Jacob Richard Mitchell after an altercation early Sunday morning.
Since Henry’s arrest, the investigation continued and police analyzed all evidence collected to date, to ensure that an appropriate charging decision could be made within the time constraints of the criminal justice system.
It was learned that Henry had been battered by Mitchell several times during the late-night incident. Mitchell also battered one of the females that was in the house and shattered a glass cabinet. One woman inside said she had “never seen anyone act like that before,” and that Mitchell was “hurting everyone and we didn’t know what he was going to do.”
Mitchell was reportedly physically charging at Henry when Henry fired the fatal shots. Henry immediately called 911 and urged emergency personnel to come quickly to attempt to save Mitchell.
During the investigation, ISP discovered that Mitchell had a prior domestic battery conviction against a different victim from January 2023 in Lawrence County.
Police stated that the Constitution protects innocent people. Indiana law provides that citizens have a right to defend themselves and third parties, and the judicial process worked in this situation.
After a thorough assessment of the events that occurred, it has been determined that Henry acted in self-defense. No criminal charges will be filed and he was released from custody.