On January 9, 1980, Henry County Sheriff’s Department Sergeant Ronald Lee Lampe, 40, was killed while executing a narcotics search warrant at a residence at 433 North Main Street in New Castle, Indiana. The operation began about 10:40 p.m.; a team of six officers attempted consensual entry at the front, but when the occupant, a 19-year-old male, refused to open the door, Lampe ordered a forced entry. Lampe and two other officers entered through the rear and, while searching a darkened house, were fired on by the armed occupant. One deputy was seriously wounded; Sergeant Lampe sustained multiple critical chest wounds and died that night at Henry County Memorial Hospital.

The 19-year-old was arrested and charged with murder, attempted murder, and battery, and the trial was moved to Rush County. The defense said the defendant fired in self-defense, claiming he did not hear officers announce themselves. The judge granted a directed verdict of acquittal, finding the forced entry had been conducted illegally and that the state did not disprove the defendant’s claim of defending against an unlawful intrusion. Lampe had served six and a half years and was survived by his mother, a son, and two stepsons.

Does anyone have additional details about the entry procedures or witnesses present that night?