CAMDEN —The new year has kicked off with much the same criminal activity as the old year ended on, according to Camden Police Chief Spurlock.
“The year has just started and we are seeing the same activity that we ended 2017 with,” he said last week. “My officers pride themselves in doing the best job possible and they will continue their efforts.”
Spurlock recently shared an update on the arrests his department have made since the holidays ended.
On Saturday, Dec. 23, 40-year-old Katherine V. Birri of Fairfield was arrested on drug charges arising after a traffic stop. According to court records, while on patrol Spurlock witnessed a vehicle “drive past him going 76 in a 55 MPH zone.” The vehicle was stopped and Birri was driving. According to reports, Birri smelled of alcohol and failed field sobriety tests. A passenger in the vehicle advised Spurlock Birri had marijuana in the vehicle, and a search found a container with marijuana, rolling papers, and a pill container containing pills later identified as amphetamine and dextroamphetamine.
Birri was charged with aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, possession of marijuana, a fourth-degree misdemeanor, illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia, a fourth-degree misdemeanor and operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse or combination, a first-degree misdemeanor.
On Wednesday, Dec. 27, Joshua Taylor, 20, was arrested for theft and drug paraphernalia. Taylor was investigated for using funds to rent a U-Haul he was not given permission to use, according to Spurlock. Upon Taylor’s arrest a methamphetamine pipe was located inside the vehicle he operated.
Marshall Woolum, 28, was a passenger in the vehicle with Taylor. Woolum was taken into custody for possession of drugs and also drug paraphernalia, according to Spurlock.
On Thursday, Dec. 29, Jamie Ehrnschwender, 34, of Camden, was arrested on charges including aggravated possession of drugs, a third-degree felony; aggravated trafficking in drugs, a third-degree felony; receiving stolen property, a fifth-degree felony; possessing criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony; possession of marijuana, a minor misdemeanor, and a specification related to the possession of cash derived from the commission of the drug trafficking, according to court documents.
Ehrnschwender was arrested after a traffic stop turned up stolen stereo equipment valued at approximately $2,000, and baggies of a white crystalline substance he referred to as “ice.” According to court documents, Ehrnschwender said he was holding the stereo equipment for a friend, and was heard saying “I don’t steal, I sell drugs.” The substance field-tested presumptive for the presence of methamphetamine, according to records.
”It was a team effort that involved the Camden Police and the citizens that eventually allowed us to apprehend Ehrnschwender, who continues to show a pattern of criminal behavior. We can not stress it enough, if you victimize our citizens we will not rest until you are in custody where you belong,” Camden Sgt. Brad Brown said.
On Wednesday, Jan. 3, Garrie Noble Jr., 27, was encountered on a traffic stop. Noble had an active warrant for his arrest for failure to appear in court. Noble was taken into custody without incident, according to Spurlock.
On Monday, Jan. 8, Stephen T. Riddell, 42, was arrested for OVI, criminal trespass, criminal damaging and driving under suspension. Riddell had gotten into some type of altercation at his residence and he had left in a vehicle, according to Spurlock.
Brown observed Riddell “to be stuck in the yard of a residence in the 400 block of Sugar Valley Drive,” Spurlock said. “Sgt. Brown approached Riddell’s vehicle and he was actively attempting to get the vehicle unstuck from the yard, causing damage to the property.”
Once Brown made contact he discovered Riddell was highly intoxicated, according to Spurlock. Riddell consented to standard field sobriety tests, which he failed, Spurlock reported, and was then placed under arrest and transported to the Preble County Jail.
Also on Jan. 8, Jeremy A. Baxter, 38, of West College Corner, Indiana, was arrested on charges including aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, carrying a concealed weapon, a first-degree misdemeanor, and illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia, a fourth-degree misdemeanor.
According to court documents, Spurlock received a call from a village employee advising him a pickup truck had been sitting on Sugar Valley Drive. Spurlock pulled behind the truck and “ran the Indiana registration.” Upon speaking to Baxter, Spurlock reported Baxter said he was waiting on a friend, and said he’d been “cleaning his console out,” and continued to tell a story Spurlock called “confusing.”
Upon asking Baxter to leave the vehicle, Spurlock noticed two knives clipped to the suspect’s pants pocket and Baxter allowed him to remove them. A search of the truck turned up an air soft gun, a large hunting-style knife with a blade approximately 6-7 inches long, a marijuana pipe, one syringe, a small spoon and a cut piece of straw, a glove containing a marijuana pipe and a metal container containing a white powdered substance. No other illegal items were located in the truck, Spurlock reported.
Once back at the Camden Police Department, the white powder was tested and came back positive for methamphetamine, according to court documents. Baxter continued to tell officers he was waiting on his friend and all the drugs and items belonged to her.
