BARTHOLOMEW CO.— A Hope, Indiana, man is currently being held in the Bartholomew County Jail after a warrant service escalated into a SWAT team callout.
The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) opened an investigation into Chad Houchins, who was wanted on a felony warrant stemming from a petition to revoke his pretrial release. The underlying charges against Houchins included dealing and possession of methamphetamine, unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, and unlawful possession of a syringe.
During their investigation, BCSO deputies determined that Houchins had tampered with his electronic monitoring device by removing his house arrest bracelet. This resulted in another warrant being issued for Houchins’ arrest on October 17th for the felony charge of escape.
Investigators successfully located Houchins at a residence in the 500 block of South Street in Hope and were granted a search warrant for the property.
Due to the nature of the felony warrants, the Columbus Police Department (CPD) SWAT team and a joint team made up of CPD officers were called to the scene. Houchins was ultimately located hiding in a vehicle on the property.
Houchins was arrested and taken into custody without further incident. He was transported to the Bartholomew County Jail, where he remains with no bond.
Those arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
