Coroner: Man died of suspected overdose
A 26-year-old Brown County man was found dead in bed by his grandparents at their home on West Gould Street in Nashville June 18.
Coroner Earl Piper responded to the scene along with police, EMS and fire personnel just before 6:30 a.m.
The grandmother reported talking to the victim around 10 p.m. when he asked her to wake him up for work the next morning at 6:15. When she went to wake him up, she found him unconscious on his bed.
Evidence found at the scene and on the victim’s body indicated that drugs were involved, Piper said. The man also had a history of drug use. The results of a toxicology test will not be available for three to four weeks. An autopsy was also going to be done.
The Brown County Democrat does not normally name people who die from overdoses.
Report texts about unemployment claims
Fraudsters have been sending out texts lately, asking people to “verify your identity … to be eligible for unemployment payments” — even when the recipients did not apply for unemployment benefits.
The messages include a link which the texter asks the recipient to click.
The Indiana Department of Workforce Development is warning people not to click that link. That office does not send out texts about claims, it reported on its website.
“If you receive a text from someone claiming to be us, do NOT click on the link,” the DWD wrote. “Clicking the link could give fraudsters access to information on your phone which could then allow them to take over your UI account.”
Anyone who receives a text message like this is encouraged to immediately email the DWD Contact Center to report it at [email protected].
Westville man fled police in three counties
A vehicle pursuit on May 17 through three counties resulted in a 38-year-old Westville man being charged with a felony and misdemeanors.
Brian Coon was charged June 2 with resisting law enforcement, a Level 6 felony; reckless driving, a Class C misdemeanor; and driving while suspended, a Class A misdemeanor.
Nashville Police Officer Cody Poynter was dispatched to assist Monroe County with a pursuit that was heading east toward Brown County on State Road 46 West. The time it happened was not mentioned in the police report.
Poynter placed stop sticks near Mike’s Dance Barn, and Brown County Sheriff’s Deputies Austin Schonfeld and Nicholson Briles were stationed east of Poynter’s location, waiting on the vehicle to come through.
When Coon saw Poynter with the stop sticks, he turned south on Shipley Hollow Road, then drove through Mike’s Dance Barn’s parking lot and field before getting back on 46 West, according to a probable-cause affidavit. At that point, Poynter joined the pursuit in his police vehicle.
Police in Monroe County had attempted to stop Coon for having false license plates and speeding, along with possible thefts.
When the vehicle was at the 135 North and 46 East intersection, it turned east onto 46 at a high rate of speed. When it passed Parkview Road, it was driving 82 mph in a 50 mph zone. While driving behind the vehicle, Poynter reported seeing it go into the oncoming traffic several times, the affidavit states.
The vehicle was going 92 mph when it passed Old Nashville Road. Police in Bartholomew County joined the pursuit when it crossed the county line. Officers there attempted to put out stop sticks, but they were unable to stop the vehicle.
Coon drove onto I-65 and exited into Taylorsville. Once Bartholomew had enough units in pursuit, officers from Brown County and Nashville stopped theirs, according to the affidavit.
Officers in Bartholomew County were able to arrest Coon, who had a suspended license.
Shayla Slone, 24, was also in the vehicle and was arrested on a warrant out of Whitley County for theft.
Man walking on road charged with felonies
HAMBLEN TWP. — A 54-year-old Indianapolis man faces two felonies in Brown County for having a syringe and drugs, after police stopped him while he was walking on the side of Three Notch Road last fall.
On June 1, James Holladay was charged with unlawful possession of a syringe and unlawful possession or use of a legend drug, both Level 6 felonies.
Police responded to the 5700 block of Three Notch Road on Sept. 8 for a person who refused to leave a home. When police arrived they were told that Holladay had already left, according to an incident report by Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy Austin Schonfeld states.
Schonfeld found Holladay walking on Three Notch Road with two plastic bags full of clothes, a walking stick and guitar case. He said he was walking 16 miles to Columbus. Schonfeld said he could give him a ride to the county line and Holladay accepted, the report states.
Due to a shift change, Deputy Kyle Minor was called to transport Holladay. While waiting for Minor, Holladay gave Schonfeld consent to search him, giving him his leather jacket to check first, according to the report.
In the jacket, Schonfeld found a brown plastic bag and Holladay said he forgot that was in there. In the bag was a silver spoon with a cotton swab in it, which Schonfeld reported was consistent with drug use.
After emptying the bag, Schonfeld reported finding two synirges, two “tie-offs” and two vials of Naloxone. Holladay said he had received the syringes from the needle exchange in Bloomington and that he had the Naloxone on him in case someone was overdosing around him, the report states.
He said the “tie-offs” were used for tying and not for injecting illegal drugs. A further search yielded a canister containing a white powdery substance which Holladay said was Seroquel; he said a relative had given it to him, according to the report. Seroquel requires a prescription and Holladay said the relative had one.
Holladay was cited and released from the scene, but was formally charged in Brown Circuit Court this month.
Stop for driving left of center leads to OWI
CORDRY-SWEETWATER — A traffic stop for speeding and driving left of center on June 10 resulted in a 25-year-old Franklin man being charged with three felonies for operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
Hunter Welberry was stopped by Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeff Branhaum just after 1 a.m. at the intersection of Sweetwater and Merlin drives, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Welberry for driving 47 mph in a 25 mph zone and went left of center twice, the report said. Branhaum reported smelling alcohol on Welberry, that his speech was slow, his eyes were watery, his manual dexterity was poor and his balance was unstable. He also reported seeing alcohol containers in Welberry’s vehicle.
Welberry also reportedly staggered from and leaned against his vehicle during the stop. He also had on soiled clothing, Branhaum reported.
A portable breath test had Welberry’s blood-alcohol content at 0.14. He was arrested.
He was charged on June 10 with three felonies for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. His charges were elevated to felonies due to a prior OWI conviction.
