BEDFORD — A Heltonville woman was taken into custody on Tuesday afternoon after police responded to a report of a person collapsing near a motel driveway.
Katelynn R. Wade, 30, of Heltonville, was arrested by the Bedford Police Department officers on November 5th and booked into the Lawrence County Jail on preliminary charges, including public intoxication, possession of meth, and possession of a narcotic drug.
According to an affidavit for probable cause filed by Officer J. Landon Jones, officers were dispatched at 2:47 p.m. to the Super 8 Motel on Bellback Road. The initial 911 caller reported a female on the ground, unsure if she was breathing.
While en route, dispatch advised that the woman was now walking away from the motel with a male. Officer Jones arrived and located a white female, identified as Wade, and a black male, walking in the middle of the roadway, near a hill crest where approaching vehicles would have limited visibility.
Upon making contact, Officer Jones observed Wade to be profusely sweating, with glassy eyes and pinpoint pupils. She was reportedly unsteady on her feet, dropping her belongings, and her speech was slow and slurred. Despite her condition, Wade denied consuming alcohol or using illegal drugs.
After receiving verbal consent to search her person, Wade reportedly nearly fell over multiple times due to her inability to stand still. Due to her condition, she was placed in handcuffs.
The male told Officer Jones he had met Wade the previous night at the motel after another man “abandoned her.” He said he rented a room for them, but checked out at 2 p.m. When he saw Wade, she was “messed up,” and he claimed he wanted to get away from her because she was following him. A complainant, later told police that the male said Wade was “higher than a kite” and had drugs on her.
Due to Wade’s intoxicated state, an IU Health ambulance was requested to the scene. It was noted that Wade would “nod off” between questions, but refused transport to the hospital.
Officer Jones arrested Wade and transported her to IU Health Bedford for medical clearance, driving with lights and sirens due to concern that she was actively overdosing as she continued to nod off multiple times while in the patrol vehicle.
While Wade was receiving medical attention, Officer Jones searched her belongings. Inside her purse, he located a clear plastic bag containing a crystal-like substance. Once medically cleared, Wade was transported to the Lawrence County jail.
The substance was later field-tested at the Bedford Police Department and yielded a positive result for methamphetamine and Fentanyl, leading to the final charges.
Those arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
