Colfax man pulls handgun on police during arrest

Editor's Note: A video of the arrest can be seen below the story.

COLFAX —A Colfax man is facing multiple charges after he pulled a gun during a December confrontation with Colfax police officers outside his downtown apartment.

Matthew S. Holett, 23, is charged with carrying weapons, an aggravated misdemeanor, and interference with official acts, a Class D felony, after pulling a .22 cal. handgun while being detained at 12:36 a.m. Dec. 13 by Colfax police in the 10 block of East Howard Street.

Dashcam footage taken during the incident and provided by Colfax Police Chief Andy Summy shows Holett pulling a pistol from his waistband during the struggle. The video appears to corroborate the officers’ reports which state Holett began yelling at police after he arrived on scene during the arrest of another man seen in the video urinating on the side of a building.

The Colfax officer approached Holett — who appeared agitated — and informed the subject he was arresting his friend for pubic urination. The officer then asked Holett if he had been drinking. The 23-year-old offered to perform a breathalyzer for the officer. The report indicates Holett appeared intoxicated at the scene. As Holett began to walk toward the police SUV, the subject quickly turned to enter his apartment. The officer then attempted to handcuff Holett.

During the struggle, Holett pulled a handgun from his waistband, appearing to be trying to point the weapon at the officer around his back and between his legs.

A second officer arrived on scene during the struggle. Holett managed to open his apartment door, he ran inside and officers pursued. The report indicates police used a Taser to subdue Holett as he allegedly attempted to discard the weapon between the wall of the apartment and a refrigerator.

Holett called out to a woman who was apparently in the apartment at the time of the arrest. Holett yelled for her to lock the apartment door and not let anyone inside.

Officers began walking Holett from the apartment after he was cuffed when he once again began to resist, falling to the ground. The subject then attempted to kick officers while on his back. One officer maced Holett, causing the subject to repeat “I can’t breathe.” Law enforcement had Colfax ambulance dispatched to the scene, and Holett was transported to Skiff Medical Center in Newton before he was taken to the Jasper County Jail.

During the arrest, Holett dropped a marijuana smoking pipe and gun magazine on the ground, according to the police report. Officers reported the hammer of the gun was cocked back, did not contain a magazine and did not have a bullet in the chamber when recovered. Holett claimed several times during the incident he did not have a gun.

The incident was made public during the Jan. 12 Colfax City Council meeting when Summy briefed council member on monthly police activity. The police chief said the incident serves as a reminder that although Colfax is generally a quiet community, even small towns are not immune to violent acts.

“With the times that we live in, it’s not really a good time to be a police officer and sometimes it’s a bit scary out there,” Summy told the council. “It ended up working out. We talk about things we can do around here to take care of our own, but just to let you know there are some pretty violent things happening.”

Holett was is facing additional charges of third-degree theft and possession of stolen property, both aggravated misdemeanors. According to court documents, the weapon Holett is carrying in the dashcam video is a Phoenix Arms .22 cal automatic pistol, reported stolen by the Knoxville Police Department in October.

Holett is facing drug charges from the Colfax Police Department stemming from a June 24 incident. He posted a $5,000 bond later Dec. 13. The defendant is scheduled to appear in Jasper County District Court for a pretrial conference in that case March 23.

Contact Mike Mendenhall at mmendenhall@newtondailynews.com