SHELBY COUNTY, Ind. – A Michigan man who shot at cars along State Road 44 and livestreamed some of it on Facebook will spend decades in prison.
Frederick Charles pleaded guilty to six counts of attempted murder, two counts of criminal mischief and a count of resisting law enforcement in connection with the February 2021 incident.
As part of a plea agreement, the judge sentenced him Thursday to 50 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections followed by 10 years of probation.
The Shelby County Prosecutor’s Office originally charged the Grand Rapids, Michigan, man with 21 different counts.
Charles’ bizarre shooting spree prompted more than two dozen 911 calls about a man shooting at passing cars on State Road 44 between Shelbyville and Franklin on Feb. 7, 2021. At one point, a driver said Charles jumped onto the hood of his car with a gun.
When police arrived in the vicinity, Charles got into a pickup truck and led them on a chase that went into farm fields. Police said Charles livestreamed the pursuit on Facebook; police deployed stop sticks that brought the chase to an end near County Road 100 South.
Police seized a pair of handguns and several rounds of ammunition and spent casings from the scene. No one was hurt during the shootings or pursuit, although police said at the time that at least five vehicles were damaged.
It appeared the shooting was an attempt by Charles to gain internet notoriety, prosecutors suggested.
Charles was initially set to have a jury trial in June 2021. However, the trial was continued multiple times. The plea agreement was filed in July 2022, leading to this month’s sentencing hearing.
