Narcotic Investigations by the Clean Team Results in Six Arrests in Miami and Fulton Counties

Miami and Fulton Counties – Three narcotic investigations by members of the CLEAN Team has resulted in six total arrests from Fulton and Miami Counties. As part of a narcotics investigation, officers from the CLEAN Team served a Fulton County search warrant on a home and property at 2420 South Fulton County Road 1600 East, rural Silver Lake, IN. During their search, officers allegedly found methamphetamine, an illegal drug lab, and numerous items of drug paraphernalia. Doug Hatfield, 45, the property owner and Jessica Boardman, 36, of Silver Lake, IN, were arrested and incarcerated in the Fulton County Jail. They each face criminal charges for manufacturing methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of an illegal drug lab. Hatfield faces an additional charge for maintaining a common nuisance. Boardman faces an additional count for visiting a common nuisance.

A CLEAN Team investigation into narcotics dealing, in Miami County, led to the arrests of Rachel Smith, 31, and Anthony Whitmer, 45, both from Sheridan, IN. The pair was incarcerated in the Miami County Jail to face criminal charges for dealing methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. The couple was arrested after they were allegedly observed, by members of the CLEAN Team, conducting a narcotics transaction, from a pickup truck, in the parking lot of a Peru business. An officer with the Miami County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on the truck.  During a subsequent search, officers allegedly found several grams of crystal methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and a misdemeanor amount of marijuana.  Officers with the Peru Police Department also assisted in the investigation.

Members of the CLEAN Team assisted officers, working from the Indiana State Peru Post, who had received a citizen’s tip about trespassing, in a camper, at 1083 Industrial Parkway, Peru. When officers arrived at the camper, they found Eric Labre, 52, and Brandon Phillips, 25, both from Peru, inside. The pair did not have permission to be on the property nor inside of the camper. Officers also found chemical precursors, an illegal drug lab, and syringes. Both men were incarcerated in the Miami County Jail to face charges for manufacturing methamphetamine, possession of an illegal drug lab, and visiting a common nuisance. Phillips faces an additional charge for possession of a syringe. He was also wanted on an active arrest warrant from Miami County. Officers from the Miami County Sheriff’s Office also assisted with this investigation.

The CLEAN Team is a task force with 11 law enforcement entities that have dedicated resources to fight narcotics in Fulton and Miami Counties. CLEAN stands for Combined Law Enforcement Against Narcotics.  The main focus of the task force is narcotics enforcement with an emphasis on methamphetamine related crimes.

Law enforcement officers encourage anyone with information about the possession, distribution, or manufacturing of narcotics to call their local law enforcement agency or the Indiana State Police Drug Tip Line at 1-800-453-4756. Information can be reported anonymously.