It started as a shooting incident in Pulaski County and ended in a SWAT team arrest in Marshall County.
Pulaski County police were called to 6680 N. U.S. 421 at 5:50 p.m. ET Sunday in reference to a call that Billie James “Tinker” Minix, of Knox reportedly shot a gun at an occupied residence. Minix allegedly shot at the residence from an abandoned building and from the driveway. Minix also allegedly fired a few shots at a vehicle occupied by two people during the incident.
Minix reportedly sent one of the victims a text message earlier in the day warning her that he was going to shoot at her. He also threatened to “take the last breath from her,” and was allegedly stalking her for days.
After the gunfire started, another person in the house, Tamara Miller, and her father then got guns and shot rounds in the air to scare Minix away and Miller told police that it worked.
Minix was reportedly with Mark Howard and left the residence by the time police arrived on the scene.
Shortly after 1 p.m. ET Monday, members of the Indiana State Police Emergency Response Section responded with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department alongside members of the Marshall County Drug Task Force and the Plymouth Police Department to serve a search warrant in Marshall County. The home was located in Argos at 5663 18th Road near the intersection of Filbert and 18th roads.
Authorities had previously obtained a search warrant for the trailer from a previous investigation conducted by the Marshall County Drug Task Force, and police now suspected that the subjects that were believed to be staying at the residence were possibly armed.
Emergency Response officers quickly used measures to coax the suspects out of the home. Within five minutes, a man identified as Mark Howard and a woman, Stephanie Johnson, exited the trailer, but a third subject refused to exit, identified as Billie Minix.
Officers attempted to talk to Minix for several minutes but he refused to comply, so more force was used to get Minix to surrender. He finally surrendered a half an hour later.
Billie J. Minix, 50, of Winamac was initially arrested for a parole violation warrant through Knox County. However, Minix may be facing additional charges in Marshall County and in Pulaski County.
Mark B. Howard, 29, of 5663 18th Rd., faces a preliminary charge of dealing methamphetamine. Stephanie Johnson, 36, of Plymouth, was arrested on an outstanding warrant for probation violation in Marshall County. Prior to the house being raided, a fourth subject, Shawn Speirs, 40, of Argos, was stopped by a Marshall County Deputy on a traffic stop and arrested on a felony warrant for dealing methamphetamine. Speirs is an associate of Minix and Howard. All four subjects were taken to the Marshall County Jail.
