Callahan
Four people were arrested on a variety of charges when a collaborative investigative effort between the Bartholomew County Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team (JNET), the Columbus Police Department Intelligence Led Policing Unit (ILP), and the patrol divisions of the Columbus Police Department and the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office led to a search warrant in the 1400 block of Lafayette Avenue.
The investigation began when the Columbus Police Department received numerous tips and complaints about the criminal narcotics activities taking place at the home in the 1400 block of Lafayette Avenue.
Shelby E. Mitchner, 52, of Columbus, was placed under arrest for possession of methamphetamine after a traffic stop on Monday night near the home in question on Lafayette Avenue, said Lt. Matt Harris, Columbus Police Department spokesman.
Later Monday night, JNET obtained a search warrant for the Lafayette Avenue residence to search and seize evidence relating to violations of Indiana controlled substance laws. The Columbus Police Department SWAT team, which is made up of Columbus Police Department officers and deputies from the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office, was activated to serve the warrant.
Just before executing the search warrant, a traffic stop was initiated by a Bartholomew County Sheriff deputy after investigators observed a vehicle leave the residence on Lafayette Avenue, Harris said.
Kimberly D. Callahan, 40, of Columbus, was taken into custody as a result of the traffic stop for operating a vehicle while intoxicated and possession of a controlled substance, Harris said.
Early Wednesday morning, SWAT executed the search warrant at the residence and took Larry G. Bergeron, 69, and Vanessa E. Cowan, 52, both of Columbus, into custody, Harris said.
A search of the home resulted in the seizure of methamphetamine that was located in the kitchen, living room, and two of the bedrooms, and fentanyl that was located in one of the bedrooms, along with multiple items of drug paraphernalia located throughout the residence, Harris said.
Larry Bergeron, Vanessa Cowan, and Shelby Mitchner are currently incarcerated at the Bartholomew County Jail on multiple drug-related charges on 48-hour holds pending formal charges that will be determined by the Bartholomew County prosecutor. Additional suspects may be charged in this investigation.
The Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team, a combined unit of the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office, the Columbus Police Department and the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office, is proactively targeting the manufacturing and abuse of dangerous drugs in Columbus and Bartholomew County. All suspects should be considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
