NORTH VERNON — Jennings County Sheriff deputies arrested a local man on drug-related charges after learning he was supposed to be watching a 2-year-old who was found wandering in a Country Squire Lakes roadway.
Deputies were sent at 8:31 a.m. Tuesday to the area of Bending Willow Way and Wildwood in Country Squire Lakes where they found the child without finding any adult present.
Officials from the Division of Family and Children were contacted to take custody of the child while deputies searched for the parents.
Deputies went knocking door to door seeking information where the child might live. At about 11 a.m., Sheriff Kenny Freeman was able to make contact with an individual that knew where the child belonged, said Chief Deputy Dave Turner.
Contact was made with the adults at the residence where the child resided, Turner said.
While speaking to the adults, it was determined that the child’s mother’s boyfriend was supposed to be watching the child when the child left through the back door. Also during the investigation, it was determined that the boyfriend, Eddie Swindall III, 30, North Vernon, was in possession of prescription drugs that were not prescribed to him, Turner said.
Swindall was taken into custody and transported to the Jennings County Jail on preliminary charges of:
–Possession of Controlled Substance – Level 6 Felony
–Neglect of a Dependent – Level 6 Felony
–Violation of Legend Drug- Level 6 Felony
–Possession of Paraphernalia- Class B Misdemeanor
Swindall was being held at the Jennings County Jail in lieu of $1,055 bond.
Assisting with the case was lead investigator Drew Heilers.
