Denzell J. Parahams

WARSAW — A South Bend man was sentenced today in Kosciusko Circuit Court on charges related to a Warsaw narcotics investigation that resulted in four people being arrested.

Denzell Jamone Parahams, 22, 1017 O’Brien St., South Bend, plead guilty to count I dealing in methamphetamine, a level 2 felony.

At approximately 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 18, Warsaw narcotics officers learned of drug activity coming from South Bend to the Warsaw area.

Warsaw narcotics officers interviewed a female about the drug activity and learned that a handgun was left in her car by a drug dealer from South Bend. With legal consent, narcotic officers searched the car and located a Smith & Wesson revolver. During the search officers also located over 15 grams of heroin, crystal meth and marijuana.

Narcotics officers interviewed the female again and learned that she had just sold .3 grams of heroin at a local hotel. Narcotic officers obtained a search warrant for the hotel room and located a male at the hotel. There they seized .2 grams of heroin and learned that the male had used the remaining amount. Several guns and ammunition were seized from the hotel room.

Further investigation revealed that there were additional drugs at the female’s residence. Undercover narcotics officers set up a buy and purchased one ounce of crystal meth at the residence. Immediately following the buy, with a search warrant in possession, narcotics officers searched the residence and took Denzell Parahams and another male into custody. More crystal meth was located, and over $1,000 cash was located on Parahams.

Attorney John Barrett, who represented Parahams in court, acknowledged that Parahams has a criminal history, but pointed out that some were smaller offenses. Barrett asked Judge Michael Reed to consider a sentence where Parahams would spend a short amount of time in jail and participate in substance abuse treatment, followed by home detention and probation.

“Our community can’t tolerate this type of activity and there have to be consequences – and they have to be severe because the actions were severe,” Reed stated.

Addressing Parahams, Reed said, “I take no joy in sending anyone to prison, let alone a kid who is 22, but I took an oath to do my job. I have to do my job.”

Reed sentenced Parahams to 10 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections. Parahams was given jail time credit of four days and ordered to pay court fees. Reed said he would recommend substance abuse treatment for Parahams as well.

“I’m not going to suspend any time now because I want you to go down to the Department of Corrections and work hard,” said Reed. “I’ll consider modifying this sentence in the future based on your conduct between now and then.”