WARSAW — When Warsaw police arrived at a scene where four dead bodies were reported, they said they found a Warsaw man claiming to be torturing the corpses and threatening to harm anyone who tried to take him into custody.

Justin Riley West

Justin Riley West, 27, 618 Oldfather St., was tased by police and charged with intimidation of a law enforcement officer, a level 6 felony; and possession of marijuana, a class B misdemeanor. He was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail on Jan. 16.

According to police, officers responded to a report of a male yelling that he had found four dead bodies. When officers arrived, they said the man, identified as West, was carrying a stick in his hand. Police say he told officers he was torturing the bodies with the stick and that he would stab any officer who came closer or who tried to take him into custody. He also reportedly told police that he was not going to jail for life and that he would kill any officer who tried to arrest him. According to the affidavit of probable cause, that’s when officers decided to use non-lethal force to take West into custody.

Police report finding a bag of marijuana in West’s front pants pocket. The bag allegedly contained 3.8 grams of the substance.