Sister charged with obstruction of justice in brother’s case

A 29-year-old Brown County woman has been charged after police found evidence she attempted to intimidate a witness in her brother’s criminal case.

Tiffany Franks was charged with a Level 6 felony on June 14 for obstruction of justice.

While listening to jail calls, Det. Paul Henderson learned in March that Franks and her brother, Ryne Franks, had planned to intimidate a witness to Ryne Franks’ Level 2 felony case for dealing in a controlled substance resulting in death.

On March 4, Ryne called Tiffany just after 8:30 p.m. to report where the witness and his girlfriend were staying and suggest that Tiffany should “smack them around and kick them out.” Tiffany and her boyfriend said that they would head over that evening, the probable cause affidavit states. Ryne then tells Tiffany to “smoke them in the head … metaphorically” and to “at least call him out.”

Ryne told her that an inmate in the jail owns the house the witness and his girlfriend were staying in. Ryne said he would talk to that inmate about hanging out with people who are testifying against him, the police report said.

Tiffany told her brother that her boyfriend “just wants to beat someone up” and laughed. Ryne said that he would check back in with them later and emphasized again he wanted them to go over to intimidate the witness and possibly harm him. Tiffany replied, “This is going to be fun,” the report said.

Tiffany reported back just after 11 p.m. that she went over with several men to kick the witness and his girlfriend out. “He might have reconsidered what he was going to say for sure,” she said with a laugh, according to the affidavit. Tiffany said she locked the two out of the house and that the witness was “scared to death.”

The next morning, Ryne called Tiffany again to tell her the homeowner thanked her for getting the two out of his house.

Ryne was charged last July with dealing in a controlled substance resulting in death, a Level 2 felony, and dealing in a narcotic drug, a Level 5 felony. Henderson began an investigation into Franks after a fatal overdose that occurred May 18, 2020, in Helmsburg.

Possession charged filed after stop for license

Police stopped a vehicle driving on Salt Creek Road May 13 after police reported the registered owner had a suspended driver’s license. A passenger was later arrested for possession of a methamphetamine pipe.

Nashville Police Officer Cody Poynter conducted the stop and the driver granted him consent to search the vehicle. When the passenger, 29-year-old Taylor Lemons of Hoover Road, exited, Poynter noticed her balance was unsteady and her eyes were heavy as if she was going to fall asleep, the probable cause affidavit states.

When asked if a female officer would find anything on her during a search, Lemons said she had a meth pipe hidden. She also told Poynter she had taken two Xanax pills two hours prior to the traffic stop.

The driver said that as he was pulling over, he watched Lemons take an unknown amount of white pills. EMS was called to check out Lemons and she was released to be transported to the jail. While at the jail, Lemons started to show signs of a drug overdose and was taken to a hospital where she was admitted.

She was charged June 1 with possession of paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor.

Police: Man had meth pipe in pocket during stop

A 43-year-old man was arrested in Nashville on June 9 after he was stopped for driving with a suspended driver’s license and police reported finding a methamphetamine pipe in his pocket.

Indiana State Police Trooper Matt Hatchett conducted the stop in the Brown County IGA parking lot after he ran the license plates. The driver, Jason Clinton, of Michigan, Indiana, was defensive about being pulled over and was hesitant to give Hatchett his driver’s license or registration, the police report said.

Clinton did give police consent to search his vehicle. He was asked to remove his dog from the vehicle and while doing so, Hatchett reported seeing Clinton put something in his pocket.

After placing Clinton in handcuffs, Hatchett retrieved the pipe, which had suspected meth residue in it. Clinton was arrested. A search of the vehicle yielded a broken glass meth pipe in the driver’s door pocket, but nothing else illegal was found, according to the affidavit.

Clinton was charged June 10 with driving while suspended, Class A misdemeanor, and possession of paraphernalia, Class C misdemeanor.