Suspicious Fire Leads To Arrest
WARSAW — A suspicious fire at Melody Acres Trailer Park, South SR 13, North Manchester, on June 4, has lead to the arrest of Shelby L. Learned, 24, 2600 S. SR 13, North Manchester.
Learned has preliminarily been charged with possession of methamphetamine and obstruction of justice, both level 6 felonies.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, police were called to the mobile home park around 6:30 p.m. The officer was directed, by a witness, to an unburned brush pile with a black plastic bag laying on top. Inside the bag was a metal box containing numerous pieces of aluminum foil with burnt residue. Also found in the bag was a wooden box containing a small plastic bag with a white substance, which tested positive for methamphetamine, plastic tubes an Indiana driver’s license and a Visa debit card, belonging to Learned and another individual.
The witness told police he saw someone carrying the bag out of a mobile home and place it on the brush pile. Police were also directed to a pink backpack laying in the grass behind a mobile home. The backpack had burn marks and was partially melted.
The backpack contained a plastic bag with ammonium nitrate, lye, lithium batteries, a coffee grinder with white powder resident, kosher salt, three pipe cutters, a funnel, numerous pieces of tubing, two plastic tubes attached to a pop bottle cap, numerous plastic bags containing coffee filters, a plastic bag containing a white power residue, which tested positive for meth and a one liter pop bottle with salt sludge.
Police spoke with Learned about the fire. She stated after the fire started she saw another female leaving the mobile home carrying a backpack. She knew the police and fire department would be arriving soon, so went to her bedroom and picked up smoking devices and the box, placing them in a kitchen trash back, carrying them outside and putting it on the trash pile so it wouldn’t be found.
Learned gave police permission to search the residence. She also stated the aluminum foil pieces found belonged to her boyfriend, who had used them to smoke meth.
Learned was arrested by Warsaw police early today, Nov. 23, and booked in the county jail. Bond was set at $5,000 surety and $250 cash.