STEUBEN COUNTY, Ind. (WOWO) — A drug investigation by the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office led to multiple arrests Sunday after surveillance operations, traffic stops, and the execution of a search warrant in rural Milgrove Township.
According to investigators, detectives were conducting surveillance on a property along County Road 550 West during the morning hours of March 9 when they observed a fugitive parolee enter a vehicle and lie down in the back seat. Authorities say the man had previously cut off his ankle monitor.
Officers later conducted an investigatory traffic stop on the vehicle on CR 550 W, where 35-year-old Dayton Penland of Fremont was found hiding in the back seat and taken into custody without incident.
The driver of the vehicle, 40-year-old Matthew Penland of Fremont, was also taken into custody on a preliminary charge of assisting a criminal, a Class A misdemeanor. He remains in the Steuben County Jail on a $2,500 bond. During a search of the vehicle, detectives said suspected methamphetamine and marijuana were located, and additional charges are being sought.
The traffic stop prompted detectives to apply for a search warrant for the property where the vehicle had been seen leaving.
While investigators were in the process of obtaining the warrant, authorities say 54-year-old Arthur Garcia Jr. left the residence in another vehicle and headed north on CR 550 W. The vehicle was stopped for a traffic violation, and a K-9 sniff conducted by the Fremont Police Department allegedly led officers to discover suspected illegal drugs in the vehicle.
The driver, 50-year-old Christa Gilbert of Auburn, was arrested and booked into the Steuben County Jail on preliminary charges of possession of methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony; possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor; possession of paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor; and obstruction of justice, a Level 6 felony. Gilbert later posted 10 percent of a $7,500 bond and has since been released.
Garcia, who was a passenger in the vehicle, was also arrested and booked into the jail on preliminary charges of dealing methamphetamine, a Level 3 felony, and possession of methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony. Garcia remains held on an $8,000 bond.
Authorities later executed a search warrant at the residence with assistance from the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office Special Response Tactical Team, the Auburn Police Department Emergency Response Tactical Team, and the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team.
Several people were located inside the residence but were released pending further investigation. Detectives reported locating suspected methamphetamine and other items related to dealing methamphetamine during the search.
Additional agencies assisting at the scene included the Fremont Police Department, Auburn Police Department, DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, Steuben County EMS, Orland Fire Department, and the Steuben County Health Department.
The investigation remains ongoing.
