Meth arrests lead to lab
A northeast Indiana police undercover operation came to a head Thursday morning with the arrest of a suspected methamphetamine dealer.
The IMAGE Drug Task Force reported Friday that undercover officer Tim Troyer of the Steuben County Sheriff’s Department purchased a quantity of purported meth from Vicki Chaffins, 38, of Waterloo, at the Auburn Home Depot parking lot shortly before 11 a.m. Thursday.
Chaffins and a companion, Joshua Kelley, 27, of Wawaka, were taken into custody by DeKalb and Steuben sheriff’s deputies and Auburn Police.
- Chaffins is facing multiple counts of dealing methamphetamine and conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine.
- Kelley is facing preliminary charges of possession of methamphetamine and aiding in the delivery of methamphetamine, a felony.
About 3:30 P.M., officers from the DeKalb and Steuben departments, Auburn Police and IMAGE arrested five people, from Fort Wayne, Kendallville, Garrett and Auburn.
Four were charged with visiting a common nuisance and one with possession of meth. The Journal Gazette normally does not publish the names of those charged with misdemeanors.
The IMAGE report said the search revealed evidence of methamphetamine dealing, usage and manufacturing. The Indiana State Police Clandestine Lab Team was called in to deal with the lab.
The cases are being forwarded to the DeKalb County Prosecutor for review, and more charges are expected, the report said.
As a result of the 14-month investigation that led to Chaffins’ arrest, officers began scouring the DeKalb County area to serve a number of warrants:
- Danielle Lease, 36, of Butler, charged with dealing in Schedule III drugs within 1,000 feet of school and IV Substances drugs within 1,000 feet of a school.
- Amber Sumner, 22, of Waterloo, charged with dealing in methamphetamine, aiding in dealing a controlled substance and felony theft.
- Raha Meade, 29, of Auburn, charged with dealing methamphetamine.
- A 44-year-old Waterloo man was charged with resisting law enforcement.
IMAGE includes officers from the sheriff’s departments in Steuben, Noble and LaGrange counties, and the Auburn Police Department.
No bond information was immediately available.
Active warrants