IMPD officer charged with attempted murder agrees to plea deal

An IMPD officer accused in February of trying to kill his girlfriend has reached a plea deal five days before his trial was expected to begin.

Justin Beaton pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of criminal recklessness, a level 5 felony punishable by one to six years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 7.

Beaton was scheduled to head to trial Monday in front of a Marion County jury on an attempted murder charge. According to court documents, he was accused of firing a gun at Nikki Payne on Aug. 30, 2014, which she said she thought he had loaded with blanks. The shot shattered the window of the front door, spraying her with shards of glass, according to court documents.

Beaton was not charged until February. At the time of the incident, Beaton and Payne told hospital staff and police detectives that her injuries — she had a broken nose, cheek and jawbone, she had swallowed teeth, and she had glass shards in her throat — were the result of an accident that had happened when they were moving furniture.

But Payne later changed her story, telling police that Beaton fired the snub-nosed revolver at her after he had been drinking. She told detectives, "I mean I get scared, honestly, that he's probably gonna try to kill me."

She also told investigators that Beaton had pointed a handgun at her before, when she was pregnant with their child.

Beaton's attorney, Jack Crawford, told reporters in February that the incident was a "tragic accident." On Thursday, Crawford said he would wait to comment further until after Beaton's sentencing.

At the time of his arrest, Beaton was suspended without pay from IMPD and recommended for termination pending the outcome of his criminal case. IMPD spokesman Lt. Rich Riddle said, now that Beaton has been convicted of a felony, the Police Merit Board can move forward with their termination proceedings. Beaton could also choose to resign instead of going before the board, Riddle said.

According to jail records, Beaton is being detained at the Marion County Jail. He was originally released on a $50,000 bond in February, but that bond was revoked in June after he was alleged to have violated the conditions of his pretrial release.

The bond was reduced in February from $300,000 after Crawford argued that the 10-year IMPD veteran posed no flight risk and because he would be able to live with family in Mooresville upon his release, far from where Payne lives in Indianapolis.

Crawford told The Indianapolis Star at the time of the bond revocation that his client was "alleged to have used alcohol." Beaton also said in court in February that he believes he struggles with alcohol and has been seeking treatment since before his arrest.

Call Star reporter Jill Disis at (317) 444-6137. Follow her on Twitter: @jdisis.