A pair of North Judson residents face drug charges following a drug bust in Born’s Trailer Park. Officers from the Starke County Major Crimes Unit reportedly saw items related to methamphetamine manufacture inside a U Road residence while serving an arrest warrant on Thursday, Sept. 8. Continue reading
Five Ft. Wayne Residents Arrested for Dealing Meth
LaPorte County police say they’ve arrested five people who they believe traveled from Fort Wayne to sell illicit drugs. The LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office says an investigation over the last few days culminated in the planned arrests in the parking lot of the LaPorte Walmart at around 4:45 Thursday afternoon. Continue reading
Detective Shares Tips to Detect Meth Use
Seemingly innocent items like plastic baggies and aluminum foil may actually be signs someone is using methamphetamine. Detective Dave Combs with the Knox Police Department says sandwich baggies with missing corners raise his suspicions, as meth is typically carried in the corner of a sandwich bag. Continue reading
State Trooper Discusses Meth Dangers
Indiana has the dubious distinction of leading the nation in the number of meth labs seized in both 2013 and 2014. Trooper Maggie Short with the Indiana State Police Clandestine Lab Team says the highly addictive stimulant can be manufactured easily from ingredients that can be purchased at any hardware or drug store. Continue reading
Meth Lab Explosion Blamed for Structure Fire
A meth lab explosion is to blame for a Friday morning structure fire in LaPorte, according to authorities there. The LaPorte Police and Fire Departments responded just before 2 a.m. to a house fire at 1408 Scott Street and found the structure fully engulfed. Continue reading
Indiana Receives Federal Grant to Combat ongoing Methamphetamine Production
The Indiana State Police is the recipient of a $567,000 federal grant to boost efforts in the fight against methamphetamine production and distribution.
U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly announced the reception of the grant on Monday afternoon which will allow the Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Anti-Methamphetamine Program to investigate activities related to the ongoing methamphetamine issue in the state.
Two Arrested on Meth Charges
Two people were arrested in Marshall County after a search warrant was conducted Wednesday at a home in the 20,000 block of 8th Road.
Marshall County Police Department Patrol Division officers and K9 Arras assisted Indiana parole officers on a parole visit at the home. When officers arrived at the scene, it appeared that no one was home but items pertaining to the manufacture of methamphetamine could be seen in plain view.
Fingernail Polish Can Be Purchased Without ID and Signature
Big Changes in Methamphetamine Laws Take Effect
The laws regarding sale of methamphetamine precursors and other changes to the criminal code involving methamphetamine are in effect.
Indiana State Police troopers want you to realize that the quantity of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine sales has changed. You may not purchase more than 3.6 grams of ephedrine or pseudoephedrine in one day, 7.2 grams of ephedrine or pseudoephedrine in a 30-day period or 61.2 grams or ephedrine or pseudoephedrine in a year.
Former Meth Lab Sites Require Remediation to Clear Toxic Byproducts
Properties where meth labs are discovered must be professionally decontaminated by a state-licensed contractor before they can be deemed fit for human habitation again. Local enforcement of that law falls to county health officials, who work closely with law enforcement to keep tabs on arrest records and make sure properties are cleaned up. Joe Mazuka, the operations manager for Meth Lab Cleanup Company, says the toxic waste can linger indefinitely if it’s not addressed.
“It doesn’t go away. A lot of people think meth has a half-life or something. It does not,” said Mazuka.
Meth Residue May Linger Long After Lab is Busted
The law enforcement aspect of locating and dismantling clandestine meth labs is just one aspect of combating the problems associated with this dangerous drug. Any location where a lab is found must be decontaminated by a contractor licensed by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management before it can be deemed fit for human habitation again. IDEM Safety Director Scott Froush says the state has strict guidelines for properties to be decontaminated.
Three Arrested on Meth Charges at Hamlet Motel
Law enforcement officers conducting a welfare check at a local motel arrested three people on a cache of drug charges. Deputies from the Starke County Sheriff’s Office and officials from Starke County Community Correction went to the Stay 4 Less Motel on U.S. 30 in Hamlet yesterday to check on 57-year-old Michael Campbell of Knox. When they arrived, they reportedly saw occupants of room 4 run into a bathroom and hide. The officers found Brian Back, 28, and Monica Hunt, 26, both of Plymouth, hiding in the bathroom and reportedly saw several items used to make meth in plain view. They contacted Starke Circuit Judge Kim Hall, who issued a search warrant for the room. Members of the Indiana State Police Clandestine Lab Team assisted with the search, which reportedly turned up precursors, paraphernalia and meth. Back, Hunt and Campbell are jailed on charges of possession of meth, precursors and paraphernalia, manufacturing meth and maintaining a common nuisance. Formal charges are pending.
Hamlet Police Bust Meth Lab, Arrest Resident
A Hamlet man was arrested without incident at his Pearl Street home Sunday night after police there executed a search warrant and found a meth lab. The Hamlet Police Department obtained a warrant for Corbyn Gayheart’s home after an eight-month-long investigation. He’s facing charges of over-purchase of pseudoephedrine, manufacturing and possession of methamphetamine, possession of meth within 1,000 feet of a park and maintaining a common nuisance. The Indiana State Police Meth Lab Team was called in to assist with the cleanup.
Pharmaceutical Companies Push Back on Drug Abuse
Methamphetamine makers who shop at a local pharmacy are out of luck. Drug manufacturers have come up with a new cold medication formula. Nexafed contains psuedoephedrine, which is the active ingredient in meth, but can’t be easily used to make the illicit drug. Walgreen’s pharmacist Joe Lark says his store has a new policy.
Plymouth Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Charge
A Plymouth man with a lengthy criminal history has pleaded guilty to a federal felony charge. Dale Hite, 27, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine. His sentencing is scheduled for Thursday, July 25 in U.S. District Court in South Bend. Continue reading
Knox Residents Jailed on Meth Charges
A month-long investigation by the Knox Police Department culminated in the arrest of two residents on meth charges last night. Alfred Higdon, 40, and Shari Melton, 39, were arrested at a home in the 300 block of Delaware Street. Officers reportedly found chemicals used in the manufacture of meth as well as methamphetamine and marijuana at the residence. Higdon and Melton both face charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of precursors and possession of marijuana. Formal charges are pending.
Cops Find Four Kids During Meth Raid, Four Adults Arrested
Four Fulton County residents are jailed on multiple felony charges after police reportedly found active meth labs, drugs and paraphernalia in a home with four minor children located next to an elementary school. Officers from the Indiana State Police Peru Post Meth Enforcement Team, Fulton County Sheriffs Department and Rochester Police Department raided a home at 311 Fulton Avenue in Rochester. Continue reading
House Passes Bill to Limit Pseudoephedrine Sales
Hoosier allergy sufferers could soon face tougher limits on how much over-the-counter cold medication they can purchase. A bill to set an annual cap on pseudoephedrine purchases passed the House by a vote of 91-1. The goal of the legislation is to curb the manufacture of methamphetamine by crimping the supply of one of the drug’s main ingredients. Plymouth Mayor and former Indiana State Police Trooper Mark Senter testified in support of the limits during a House hearing on the bill. Cold medications containing pseudoephedrine are already sold behind the counter in pharmacies in limited quantities, and purchasers must show a photo identification to buy them. The 61 gram per person limit is about an eight-month supply of the current law’s monthly limit. The bill now goes back to the Senate for consideration of a few minor changes before it can be sent to Governor Mike Pence for consideration.
Meth Investigation Nets One Arrest
A Starke County man is jailed on meth charges after an investigation yesterday by deputies from the Starke County Sheriff’s Office. They found Henry Wood and his dog sitting in the passenger seat of a tan vehicle parked at 3131 South State Road 39 in North Judson. Wood consented to a search of the vehicle, and deputies reportedly found an inactive meth lab and other articles used in the manufacture of meth. Wood faces charges of dealing in methamphetamine. The Indiana State Police Clandestine Lab Team was called in to assist with the cleanup.
New Cold Medicine Deters the Manufacture of Meth
The mayor of Warsaw told our reporting partners at WNDU that the development of the new cold medicine is an alternative to Sudafed. According to Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer, Nexafed, which is available at local drug stores, has “Impede” technology which is a combination of inactive ingredients that impedes the process of manufacturing methamphetamine. When methamphetamine cooks use this drug during the process of making methamphetamine, it forms a thick gel which blocks the extraction of pseudoephedrine so it can’t be converted to meth.
While this drug doesn’t provide an immediate solution to the meth problem, it does offer hope. It could, in theory, reduce domestic production of methamphetamine.
