A Laramie County man is accused of holding a gun to a woman’s head, then threatening to kill her with a sword, and then pointing a loaded crossbow at her before the woman could get away and call police.
Jesse H. Ward, 45, had been growing paranoid in recent months with “delusions of infidelity, a cult in his neighborhood, ‘watchers’ using surveillance systems such as hidden microphones and cameras in his house,” according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in his case.
The situation grew dangerous late Saturday night when Ward accused the woman of being unfaithful to him, says the affidavit written by Laramie County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Andrew Seely.
The woman tried to calm him down, “But Jesse instead grabbed his ‘Glock 40’ and pointed it at (her) head while she sat on her bed,” the affidavit says.
While this was happening, a video camera in the room was recording, but only audio was available because the camera lens was covered, Seely wrote. In that audio, Ward can be heard repeatedly threatening to kill the woman.
“Jesse is heard to be saying things such as, ‘I’m about ready to kill the evil that’s killing me’ and ‘I’m about ready to f***in’ end you.’”
The dialogue goes on with other threats while holding the woman at gunpoint, the affidavit says, including:
• “I’m about ready to make you eat a bullet.”
• “I’m about ready to end you.”
• “I’m about ready to go to prison.”
• “I will turn around and get handcuffed after I put you out of your misery.”
Throughout it all, the woman told police she was afraid Ward was going to shoot her, the affidavit says.
Ward faces a felony charge of aggravated assault and battery, and a misdemeanor charge of domestic battery.
Sword, Then A Crossbow
When Ward finally put the gun down, it was to pick up a sword, Seely wrote.
“At this point in the video a sound can be heard which is consistent with the tip of a long blade being dragged across something,” the affidavit says.
The woman then said that Ward pointed the sword at her and twice advanced to the point she thought he might stab her.
“He kept repeating, ‘I want you to die,’ then yelled ‘GET BACK,’ ordering her to get on the bed again,” the affidavit says.
After Ward put down the sword, he “picked up a crossbow, which he also pointed at her,” Seely wrote.
While the woman said she’s unfamiliar with archery weapons and didn’t know if the crossbow was cocked and ready to fire, she did see a bolt in the device pointed at her, the affidavit says.
“She did remember seeing the tip of the bolt … and described a three-sided point, typical with a broadhead, which is commonly used for hunting as opposed to a field tip, which does not have similar geometry,” Seely wrote.
The deputy went on to write that he has experience with crossbows, and they typically won’t load a bolt without being cocked, “which indicates the crossbow was most likely in a cocked (ready to fire) position.”
Called For Help
At some point, the crossbow wasn’t pointing at the woman anymore, but the affidavit doesn’t detail when Ward may have put it down.
But the woman grabbed the gun from a shelf where Ward had put it when he got the sword, then went outside to get away from him, the affidavit says. When Ward followed her out, she went back inside and locked the door.
She apparently was able to get a call through to law enforcement before Ward barged back into the home and knocked the phone out of her hand.
The woman went outside when deputies arrived and was taken away before being questioned, the affidavit says.
Ward had his initial appearance in Laramie County Circuit Court on Tuesday, and remains in jail on a $50,000 cash-only bond.
If convicted, he could get up to 10 years in prison for aggravated assault and battery, and up to six months in jail for domestic battery.
He’ll next be in court Oct. 21 for a preliminary hearing on the felony charge.
Greg Johnson can be reached at greg@cowboystatedaily.com.
