Nine arrested in Bartholomew drug-dealing investigation

Nine people were arrested Tuesday on drug dealing related charges in Bartholomew County after an investigation by the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team.

Officials are calling the sweep Operation Cold Front and it involved 20 patrol officers and detectives from both the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office and Columbus Police Department serving arrest warrants with support from the Intelligence Unit, along with the assistance from the DEA and the Indiana State Police.

Sheriff Chris Lane said “taking drug dealers off the streets has an outsize impact on not only the availability of narcotics but also the other underlying crime in Bartholomew County.”

Those arrested were:

• Cindy Stevenson, 62, of Columbus — Dealing in Methamphetamine
• Darrell Crow III, 47, of Columbus — Dealing in Methamphetamine
• Steven Wyatt, 63, of Columbus — Dealing in Methamphetamine
• Samantha Hitch, 28, of Columbus — Dealing in Methamphetamine
• Derrick Brown, 35, of Columbus — Dealing in a Narcotic Drug
• Daniel Houchens, 33, of Columbus — Dealing in Methamphetamine
• Lloyd May III, 42, of Columbus — Dealing in Methamphetamine
• Stacy Southern, 62, of Columbus — Dealing in Methamphetamine
• Tallon Bowman, 32, of Fairland — Dealing in Narcotic Drug

The Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team, is a combined unit of the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office, the city police department and the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office targeting the manufacturing and abuse of dangerous drugs in the community.