10 warrants issued in Operation Triple Threat, third drug operation in Dubois County

• 10 warrants were issued in the third operation in Dubois County.
• Seven arrests made so far.
• Prosecuting Attorney reports difficulty in operation due to lowered penalties for drug offenses. 
• Also reports an increase in heroin coming into the county.
• Prosecuting Attorney connects increases in crime to decrease penalties for drug offenses

Several arrests were made Monday in the third drug interdiction operation, Operation Triple Threat, conducted by the Dubois County Sheriff’s Department and the Prosecuting Attorney’s office.

Dubois County Narcotics Officer John Anderson and Dubois County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Beth Sermersheim initiated Operation Triple Threat in April of last year when they began conducting undercover drug buys.

Informants made undercover drug buys of heroin, methamphetamine, Schedule II, and Schedule IV controlled substances.

As a result of the covert investigations, felony arrest warrants for drug dealing charges were obtained by the Dubois
County Prosecutor’s Office.

On Monday morning, May 2, 2016, deputies with the Dubois County Sheriff’s Department began serving arrest warrants on subjects for drug dealing charges stemming from an investigation known as “Operation Triple Threat.”

In total, 10 individuals are facing drug dealing charges as part of this Operation. The seven arrested on warrants thus far include:

Yaun M. Helms, 40, 2642 N. Dublin St., Ireland, is charged with a Level 4 felony count of dealing a narcotic drug and a Level 5 felony count of dealing a Schedule IV controlled substance.

Andrew J. Long Jr., 25, 202 N. Jackson St., Huntingburg, is charged with a Level 2 felony count of dealing a narcotic drug and a Level 4 felony count of dealing methamphetamine.

Jeremy J. Lorey, 42, 1107 Mill St., Jasper, is charged with two Level 5 felony counts of dealing methamphetamine.

Justin R. MacDonald, 34, 7932 S. Club Road, Ferdinand, is charged with a Level 5 felony count of dealing a narcotic drug.

Cole M. Denton, 28, 533 E. Seventh St., Huntingburg, is charged with a Level 3 felony count of dealing a narcotic drug.

Maurice R. Zapata, 22, 3828 N. Portersville Road, Jasper, is charged with a Level 4 felony count of dealing methamphetamine.

John J. Bickerest, 30, 1446 Park St., Jasper, is charged with two Level 5 felony counts of dealing a narcotic drug.

Three arrest warrants remain outstanding at this time.

The fact that a person has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation, and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The name “Operation Triple Threat” was chosen because it is the third operation of its kind, following 2014’s Operation Big Brother and 2015’s Operation Double Trouble.

Operation Big Brother resulted in a 16 arrest round up, and Operation Double Trouble resulted in an 18 arrest round up. Like the first two Operations, the informants used for Operation Triple Threat were developed primarily through street level arrests made by uniformed patrol officers and Officer Anderson.

Operation Triple Threat is not as large as the first two Operations. Operation Big Brother and Operation Double Trouble resulted in 16 and 18 drug dealing arrests, respectively. The Dubois County Prosecutor’s Office and Narcotics Officer Anderson decided to terminate their latest Operation at 10 individuals due to the current state of the Indiana Criminal Code.

On July 1, 2014, the Indiana Criminal Code dramatically changed and drastically reduced penalties for drug related offenses. The Dubois County Prosecutor’s Office reports that since that time, individuals have been much less willing to work as confidential informants (CIs). Given the weakened penalties for drug offenses, individuals would rather accept their lenient punishments than work with the police.

The legislature’s intent in enacting the new Indiana Criminal Code was to try to rehabilitate low level offenders rather than imprisoning them.

However, the Dubois County Prosecutor’s Office says they have experienced a different effect.

These individuals aren’t being rehabilitated. Rather, in accordance with the new criminal code, they are being placed on probation and in community corrections programs. While on those programs, they are continuing to reoffend, and in doing so, eventually wind up serving short jail sentences.

In addition, the prevalence of drug use and dealing has not decreased in Dubois County. Rather, the Dubois County Prosecutor’s Office reports seeing an increase in the prevalence of heroin in our community.

Individuals are now traveling on a daily basis to surrounding metropolitan areas, predominantly Louisville and Indianapolis, and are bringing quantities of heroin back to Dubois County to distribute.

Another unintended consequence seen by the Dubois County Prosecutor’s Office includes an increase in non-drug related criminal offenses. The prosecuting attorney’s office reports they have seen an increase in the commission of the following offenses: theft, burglary, unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle, disorderly conduct, public intoxication, battery, domestic battery, operating a vehicle while intoxicated, and neglect of a dependent.

The Dubois County Prosecutor’s Office believes that all crime will increase until harsher penalties are imposed under the Indiana Criminal Code.

Also, as with the first two operations, one individual who would’ve faced charges as part of Operation Triple Threat is now deceased. In total, four individuals involved in these Operations are now deceased. This figure further demonstrates the perilous nature of being involved in drug dealing.

Despite the current legislative barriers, the Dubois County Prosecutor’s Office and the Dubois County Sheriff’s Department are not going to stop combating the drug problem in Dubois County. They remain hopeful that the legislature will reinstitute harsher penalties in the future.