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AVILLA — It started as a routine traffic stop.
Police eventually seized nearly a quarter-pound of marijuana, precursors used in the manufacture of methamphetamine — and a homemade cannon.
Officers seized the 6-foot long cannon which had been mounted onto a wheeled steel frame from a home under construction in the area of C.R. 500N and C.R. 400E in Noble County Thursday morning. The barrel of the cannon was 3 inches in diameter, and according to Avilla Town Marshal Glen Wills, there was evidence at the scene which indicated the cannon had been fired.
“If it was in the wrong hands, it could have caused a lot of problems,” Wills said.
Wills said the cannon had been fired using marbles and coins as projectiles at a junked vehicle. Some of the projectiles had appeared to have gone through both sides of the vehicle.
According to Indiana Code 35-47.5-2.4, the cannon qualified as a destructive device because the diameter of the barrel exceeded one-half inch.
A federal agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) was at the scene and confirmed the illegality of the cannon, according to Wills.
The incident began at 3:10 a.m. Thursday when Wills stopped a vehicle in the area of Main Street and Fourth Street in Avilla after allegedly observing a traffic law violation. When Wills approached the vehicle, he allegedly detected the odor of marijuana and alcohol.
He placed the driver of the vehicle, Kenneth Barden Jr., 23, of Kendallville into custody. Wills allegedly recovered just under a quarter-pound of marijuana and precursors associated with the manufacture of methamphetamine.
Through the course of his investigation, Wills received information regarding the cannon.
Officers from the Indiana State Police, Avilla Police Department, Indiana Multi Agency Group Enforcement drug task force, the Indiana State Police’s Emergency Response Team and the ATF then executed a search warrant on the property.
In addition to the cannon, police also recovered mouse traps which had been rigged with shotgun shells.
Police are still investigating to determine who the cannon belongs to.
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