Police arrest more than a dozen people after months-long drug investigation in Bartholomew County

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Brian Suns
Carrie Jo Meek
Charles A. Sims
Christopher Bennett
David Ward
Elizabeth Burton
Haley Zapfe
Ian Colson
James W. Sidebottom
Jesse Woolsey
Joanna Gearhart
Kelsey Smith
Nicole L. Childers
Phillip Cochran
Richard Bunch
Steven Garvin

COLUMBUS, Ind. – A months-long investigation in Bartholomew County resulted in the arrests of 16 people accused of dealing heroin and methamphetamine.

Detectives from the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team made the arrests during a sweep this week with the help of the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, Columbus Police Department, Indiana State Police and DEA Task Force.

According to police, their investigation lasted several months and involved the sale of heroin and meth across Bartholomew County.

The following people were arrested:

Nicole L. Childers, 29, Columbus, IN: Two Counts of Dealing Heroin
Richard D. Bunch, 53, Columbus, IN: Two Counts of Dealing Methamphetamine
Kelsey E. Smith, 20, Columbus, IN: One Count of Dealing Methamphetamine
Carrie Jo Meek, 26, Columbus, IN: Two Counts of Dealing Heroin
Phillip M. Cochran, 38, North Vernon, IN: Two Counts of Dealing Heroin
Charles A. Sims, 40, Columbus, IN: Two Counts of Dealing Heroin
Brian S. Suns, 30, Columbus, IN: Two Counts of Dealing Heroin
James W. Sidebottom, 32, Edinburgh, IN: Two Counts of Dealing Methamphetamine
Christopher M. Bennett, 33, Columbus, IN: Two Counts of Dealing Methamphetamine
Elizabeth A. Burton, 29, Edinburgh, IN: Two Counts of Dealing Methampethamine
Joanna M. Gearhart, 31, Columbus, IN: One Count of Dealing Methamphetamine
Steven C. Garvin, 26, Franklin, IN: One Count of Dealing Methamphetamine
David A. Ward, 45, Columbus, IN: Two Counts of Dealing Methamphetamine
Haley M. Zapfe, 25, Columbus, IN: Two Counts of Dealing Methamphetamine
Ian M. Colson, 34, Columbus, IN: One Count of Dealing Heroin
Jesse S. Woolsey, 23, Columbus, IN: One Count of Dealing Methamphetamine

After announcing the arrests, police said they were looking for two people in connection with the investigation, Robert E. Leturgez Jr., 27, Columbus, and Joshua M. “Chirp” Parker, 24, Columbus. The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department later said Parker turned himself in Thursday. Leturgez was still at large, police said.