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LAGRANGE — Six people were arrested Sunday after police received a tip about methamphetamine sales in LaGrange.
Acting on the tip, officers from the Indiana Multi Agency Group Enforcement (I.M.A.G.E.) drug task force, the LaGrange Police Department and LaGrange County Sheriff’s Department executed a search warrant at 11:03 a.m. at a motel in the 400 block of South Detroit Street.
Police allegedly seized several grams of meth, a quantity of marijuana, prescription narcotics and cash.
Arrested at that location were:
• Brandon Wicker, 28, of Albion on charges of possession of meth, four counts of possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana and maintaining a common nuisance.
• Melissa Case, 25, of Wabash on charges of possession of meth, four counts of possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana and maintaining a common nuisance.
Officers then received information about a second alleged drug operation at Apartment No. 3 at 216 E. Spring St.
A second search warrant was executed at 3:30 p.m. at the apartment, and officers seized a quantity of methamphetamine, three discarded meth labs, marijuana and cash.
Arrested at the apartment were:
• Orvan Lambright, 27, of LaGrange on charges of dealing and possessing meth, possession of precursors, possession of marijuana and maintaining a common nuisance.
• Robert Patrick, 40, of LaGrange on charges of dealing and possessing meth, possession of precursors, possession of marijuana and maintaining a common nuisance.
• Brandon Watts, 20, of Ligonier on charges of visiting a common nuisance.
• Kristine Caudill, 27, of Howe was charges of possession of meth and visiting a common nuisance.
According to an undercover officer with the I.M.A.G.E. drug task force, the two locations were exchanging methamphetamine for prescription pills.
“They were going back and forth,” the officer said.
Police allegedly seized approximately 8 grams of methamphetamine at the two locations, approximately one-quarter ounce of marijuana and approximately 100 prescription pills, including oxycodone, oxycontin and methadone.
The I.M.A.G.E. officer passed on information about possible drug activity at the motel to road officers with the sheriff’s department and LaGrange town police.
“Deputy (Aaron) Knisley ended up doing a bunch of leg work and got a search warrant,” the I.M.A.G.E. officer said.
Knisley is a non-paid reserve officer with the LaGrange County Sheriff’s Department. Also key in the investigation were two more reserve officers, Jeff Gaylord with the sheriff’s department, and Dean Weir, with the LaGrange Police Department.
LaGrange County Sheriff Terry Martin lauded the efforts of all three reserves.
“It shows a lot for our reserve program,” Martin said Monday. “They’ve been filling in quite a bit for us.”
All reserves must graduate from a reserve police academy, and sheriff’s reserves then spend another 120 hours riding with a full-time officer before they are released on their own.
“They’re out there doing the same thing as full-time officers,” Martin said. “The only difference is they aren’t paid.”
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