John Bobby, 49, claiming an Argos address, was sentenced Thursday, June 5 in Marshall Superior Court Number One to ten years imprisonment for possessing methamphetamine within a public housing complex. In open court, Bobby admitted that on February 21, 2013, he possessed methamphetamine at an apartment on Madison Street in Plymouth.
Judge Robert O. Bowen approved an agreement reached between Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Nelson Chipman and defense attorney Tom A. Black, which provided for a sentence at the Indiana Department of Corrections of 10 years of imprisonment for Class B felony possession of methamphetamine. No part of the sentence was suspended, and purposeful incarceration was made a term.
The case began on February 15, 2013 when the manager of Country Place Apartments saw an individual enter an apartment to whom a “No Trespass Order” had previously been issued and was on file with the Plymouth Police Department. Officer John Weir and Corporal Ray West of the Plymouth Police Department responded to the second floor apartment, and immediately detected a strong odor of ammonia. They also noticed that on a bitterly cold day the windows to the apartment were open.
After knocking on the door, the officers could hear the screams of a young child. Eventually the door was opened and the smell of ammonia became stronger, almost overpowering, and the room air had a cloudy tint. The officers entered the apartment and saw two young female children, later determined to be 2 and 5 years of age standing at the end of a hallway. Eventually, Plymouth Ambulance arrived at the scene and took the two children to the emergency room at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center to be decontaminated and custody transferred to the Department of Child Services
Officer Weir soon found the individual against whom the “No Trespass Order” had been issued and took him into custody. At the same time, no less than four individuals jumped out of the second floor windows and ran in different directions. Two of the four escaping individuals were almost immediately apprehended by quick acting Plymouth Police officers who had been called to the scene for assistance. The remaining individuals in the apartment were also put under arrest. A total of 10 adults were either arrested or identified for having a part in the production of meth.
A search warrant was prepared, submitted to and approved by Judge Curt Palmer later that day. One of the rooms in the apartment was locked requiring the necessity of kicking in the door. Within that particular room was an active methamphetamine lab and almost 6 grams of finished methamphetamine product. In addition, numerous parts of a methamphetamine lab were found on or near the individuals who jumped out the windows and were later apprehended. Other rooms in the apartment also contained drug paraphernalia including numerous syringes and used pipes.
John Bobby was later identified as one of the persons who jumped out the window and escaped apprehension. Based upon probable cause a warrant for Bobby’s arrest was issued. On February 21 he was located in another apartment and arrested by Plymouth Police Officer Derek Workman. Found on his person at that time was a quantity of methamphetamine, which is the offense to which he pled guilty and was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment.
Plymouth officers assisting at the scene included David Bacon, Shelley Cleveland, Jim Cox, Steve DeLee, Mark Owen, Ray West and John Weir. Indiana State Police assistance was provided by Jason Faulstich, Keith Bikowski, Ryan Lebo, Robert Leffert and Brandon McBrier.
