An Indianapolis man was arrested on preliminary charges of dealing in drugs and weapons charges after Columbus Police officers recovered over a half pound of methamphetamine and fentanyl, along with two firearms during a traffic stop early Wednesday morning.
Shortly before 2:30 a.m., a CPD patrol officer stopped a vehicle on Interstate 65 near the 71.5 mile marker. Officers identified the driver as, Jedidiah Van Fossen, 43, of Indianapolis.
Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived on scene as backing officers, including BCSO K9 Frizko. The law enforcement service dog alerted to the odor of narcotics in the vehicle. The CPD officer conducted a probable cause search of the vehicle and located more than a half pound of suspected methamphetamine, more than an ounce of
suspected fentanyl, a loaded Taurus revolver, a 12 gauge shotgun, along with an operational digital scale with residue that field tested presumptively positive as both methamphetamine and fentanyl.
The amount of fentanyl located during this traffic stop has the potential, depending on purity, to cause up to 19,000 overdose deaths, said Lt. Matt Harris, Columbus Police Department spokesman. The subsequent investigation has led officers to believe Van Fossen was traveling to Bartholomew County to deliver controlled substances.
Van Fossen was placed under arrest and transported to the Bartholomew County Jail and remanded on the following preliminary charges:
–Dealing in Methamphetamine (Level 2 Felony)
–Dealing in a Narcotic Drug (fentanyl) (Level 2 Felony)
–Unlawful Possession of a Handgun
–Possession of Marijuana
Van Fossen remains incarcerated at the jail with a 48 hour hold. The investigation is ongoing, Harris said.
This story will be updated.
