LAWRENCE CO. — A routine search for a wanted fugitive led to the arrest of three men, including the wanted subject and a passenger found with illegal drugs and a hypodermic syringe. The incident occurred on October 15, after an unmarked police surveillance operation spotted a vehicle near State Road 158.
Indiana State Police Trooper Chance Humphrey, along with Lawrence County Sheriff Greg Day and Major Andy Blackburn, were actively searching for Chad Falco, who was wanted on an active Level 2 Felony warrant for dealing methamphetamine.
Sheriff Day located a white Nissan Altima, known to belong to Falco’s roommate, Shon Michael, traveling eastbound on SR 158. Sheriff Day identified Michael as the driver and observed Falco in the rear passenger seat, leading law enforcement to initiate a traffic stop after observing the Nissan drive on the wrong side of Tripleton Pike.
During the stop, Sheriff Day identified the front passenger as Byron Ira and Falco in the back seat. All three men were familiar to the officers due to past encounters.
As Falco was instructed to exit the car, Sheriff Day observed what appeared to be digital scales on the center console. Falco was immediately secured in handcuffs based on the outstanding warrant.
A search of Falco incident to the arrest uncovered a small black container in his right pants pocket. Inside, Sheriff Day located two small baggies containing a crystal substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine and weighed two grams with packaging.
The other two occupants were then detained. During a pat-down of the driver, Shon Michael, Sheriff Day felt a soft baggie in his right front pocket. When asked, Michael stated it was “a little green,” which the officer understood to be marijuana. Michael consented to the search, which yielded a plastic baggie of marijuana, which also tested positive for the drug.
A further search of Michael revealed a hypodermic syringe in his left front pocket. Michael reportedly admitted to Sheriff Day that he had used it to ingest methamphetamine a few weeks earlier.
Following a search of the vehicle, the digital scales observed earlier were recovered. Nothing illegal was found on Ira.
Michael and Falco were both transported to the Lawrence County Jail. Falco was booked for his active warrant and the new possession of methamphetamine charge. Michael was booked on new charges of possession of a hypodermic syringe, Level 6 Felony, and possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor.
Lawrence County Captain Anthony Pope later advised Sheriff Day that jail staff, including Assistant Jail Commander Hunter Johnson and Officer Greg Gilbert, had located a large amount of methamphetamine on Falco during the booking-in procedure. The narcotics, weighing approximately 20 grams with packaging, had been concealed in his crotch area inside his shorts as he was changing into a jail uniform. Falco had denied having any additional drugs on him just before entering the jail.
Ira was released at the scene, and Michael gave consent for him to take possession of the Nissan Altima. Trooper Humphrey took possession of all evidence recovered at the scene and the jail.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based on the information provided in the Probable Cause Affidavit and does not represent a final determination of guilt or innocence.
