21 arrested after Franklin drug-dealing investigation
Franklin police detectives have arrested 21 people in connection with a drug-dealing investigation — the second large drug sweep in Johnson County in recent months — spurring officials there to vow to treat addiction and target dealers.
The arrests come while Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is considering a bill passed earlier this year by the House and Senate that would stiffen penalties for some drug offenses if the suspect has a prior dealing conviction.
Acknowledging a drug problem in rural Indiana counties, officials in Johnson County on Wednesday discussed police efforts to staunch the spread of heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana through the area.
"There are two different groups of people here," Johnson County chief deputy prosecutor Joe Villanueva said. "There are people who are pure dealers peddling poison to families. Then there are people who have addictions."
In the past month, the Franklin Police Department's special investigations unit secured more than 20 arrest warrants for drug-related offenses for charges varying from dealing and possessing heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine to neglect of a dependent, Franklin Police Chief Tim O'Sullivan said.
In September, the police department was part of a multiagency effort to pull dealers and users from the streets. The yearlong investigation netted 30 drug arrests.
Franklin Mayor Joe McGuinness said the city has taken measures such as adding K9 units for drug investigations and exploring treatment options for those arrested with addictions.
"Meth and heroin are literally killing our communities," McGuinness said. "It is getting into middle schools and high schools across the state."
Authorities in Johnson County are parceling through the suspects to identify the dealers, and separate them from those who are simply suffering from an addiction.
Villanueva said the prosecutor's office is reviewing the cases, and will seek treatment options for those who are not strictly dealers, along with harsher punishments for the dealers.
Indiana prosecutors in the past year have lobbied for harsher drug-dealing sentences, saying the drug punishments the legislature reformed in 2014 are too low for some offenders.
In Indianapolis, Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry said drug trafficking is linked to a number of homicides in the city in recent years, such as a quadruple homicide in 2014, and killings alleged to be committed by members of the Grundy Crew.
11 people charged in 'violent' drug trafficking ring; 9 arrested so far
"There's absolutely no doubt whatsoever that violent crime is tied to drug trafficking," Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry said in December.
The 21 people arrested:
Tammi M. Hendricks, 43, Franklin; Quinton L. Cundiff, 36, Franklin; Sophia Alldredge, 22, Franklin; Natoshia N. Alldredge, 26, Franklin; Steven Garvin, 26, Edinburgh; Jessica B. Sheckles, 35, Edinburgh; Brittany L. Hart, 25, Franklin; Francisco R. Negron, 26, Franklin; Justin W. Burton, 20, Edinburgh; Brian J. Burton, 26, Edinburgh; Matthew R. Eden, 34, Franklin; Shawn M. Shaw, 25, Franklin; Megan A. Atwood, 23, Franklin; Courtney L. Dausch, 27, Franklin; Jordan A. Black, 24, Franklin; Dallas B. Martin, 19, Franklin; Lawrence A. Turnbloom, 20, Edinburgh; Dalante D. Hampton, 26, Franklin; Amber S. Hampton, 27, Franklin; Robert Ellett, 55, Franklin; and Angela L. Steineck, 38, Whiteland.
IndyStar reporter Kristine Guerra contributed to this story. Call IndyStar reporter Madeline Buckley at (317) 444-6083. Follow her on Twitter: @Mabuckley88.