Denise Dalton, 49, of rural Akron, and her son, Keith Dalton, 22, with no recorded address, were both sentenced Thursday, October 9 in Marshall Superior Court Number 1 to 10 years imprisonment for conspiring to manufacture methamphetamine. In open court, both Denise and Keith admitted that in October of last year they conspired with each other, and two other people to purchase the ingredients for a methamphetamine lab, including tin foil, baggies, salt, a funnel, ammonium nitrate in the form of cold packs, tubing, drain opener, Drano, coffee filters and pseudoephedrine.
Senior Judge Walter Palmer approved a previously submitted agreement reached between Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Nelson Chipman and defense attorney Joseph Simanski for Denise Dalton and defense attorney Tom A. Black for Keith Dalton. The agreements were identical and each provided for 10 year prison sentences at the Indiana Department of Corrections. Four years of the sentences were suspended and each defendant is being afforded the opportunity to participate in intensive drug rehabilitation through the purposeful incarceration program. Upon their release the two will be put on reporting probation for a year and continue to be monitored.
The case began on October 11, 2013 when Plymouth Police Officer Shanna Gilmer was dispatched to Walgreens Pharmacy on North Michigan St., after employees called to report two suspicious males. Gilmer discovered the two had attempted to purchase pseudoephedrine, but were denied because the national pseudoephedrine logging system indicated each had purchased their limit for the time being. Obviously, to attempt to purchase both individuals had to supply identification.
After being denied the purchase, the two left the premises and immediately Denise Dalton entered the store to make a successful purchase of pseudoephedrine. When Gilmer approached the store, one of the persons later identified as Keith Dalton ran across the parking lot and Michigan Street and headed to the Dollar General Store in the Kroger shopping center. Gilmer directed Plymouth PD dispatch to contact the Dollar General Store and ask what was being purchased by the individuals. Gilmer continued to investigate at Walgreen’s and found that one of the males subjects attempted to purchase syringes but was told that was not permitted unless he needed insulin. Mr. Dalton then asked the clerk for the price of insulin. Without a prescription, the clerk turned Dalton away.
The clerk at the Dollar General Store advised Plymouth Police that the Daltons purchased tin foil, baggies, salt and a funnel, items commonly used for the manufacture and consumption of methamphetamine. Officer Gilmer then observed the two Dalton boys meet up with two women and walk to the Red Rock Inn on North Michigan Street. Officer Gilmer, however, could not see what room the foursome entered.
Less than a half hour later, the manager of the hotel contacted Plymouth Police and asked for assistance to remove no longer wanted guests at the hotel. The manager and Officer Gilmer knocked on the door of the room with the unwanted guests and could see people sitting on the bed but no one responded to the knocks. At this point, Officer Gilmer contacted Chief Deputy Prosecutor Nelson Chipman to discuss the situation and it was decided that since the manager of the hotel wanted the individuals removed, forced entry into the room would be appropriate. Plymouth Police Officer Jeremy Enyart and Marshall County Deputy Jonathon Bryant arrived to assist. Upon entry, the person who rented the room gave permission to the officers to search. A protective sweep of the room yielded the presence in a darkened bathroom of yet another Dalton male individual.
Located in the room was Liquid Fire, plastic baggies, liquid fuel carburetor cleaner, instant cold packs, foil, coffee filters, plastic tubing, salt, funnels, Drano crystals, pliers and pseudoephedrine in the form of Aleve D, together with its receipt from Walgreens. All of these items are essential in the manufacture of methamphetamine. Arrested at that time for manufacturing methamphetamine were Denise Dalton and her two sons Keith and Todd, and Keith’s girlfriend Erin Parker.
Several weeks later Ms. Parker was instrumental in providing information and testimony that the intent and agreement of the group was to take the items and manufacture methamphetamine in the woods behind the Red Rock Inn. This evidence decimated the planned defense of the group that they were going to deliver the items to another individual in Fulton County and for that individual to manufacture the methamphetamine. As a result of Ms. Parker’s cooperation, the three Daltons changed their minds and all three have pled guilty to conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine.
Chipman praised the outstanding police work of Plymouth Police Officer Shanna Gilmer, and the collaboration of Officers Enyart, John Weir, Det. Jim Cox and Marshall County Officer Jonathon Bryant. Chipman noted that, “Officer Gilmer could have easily and justifiably ended her investigation at the Walgreen’s when she found that the two males were denied the pseudo purchase. She could have gone back on patrol to other parts of the city. Instead, she doggedly pursued her instincts and training and found the purchase of additional precursors as well as the Dalton gang’s destination to a local hotel. Eventually, she was able to locate the suspects and four individuals, some with long histories of drug abuse are now facing the consequences.”
