Staff Report

Lowell Kenneth Collins

WARSAW — Seven people are facing criminal charges after police used a search warrant at Little Crow Lofts and found drugs and paraphernalia at an apartment.

Lowell Kenneth Collins, 54, 201 S. Detroit St. Apartment 264, Warsaw, also with an address of 223 W. Jefferson St. 3, Warsaw, is charged with possession of methamphetamine and unlawful possession of a syringe, both level 6 felonies; visiting a common nuisance, a class B misdemeanor; and possession of paraphernalia, a class C misdemeanor.

Joshua Brant Hawthorne, 40, 1202 Wooster Road Lot 88, Winona Lake; Ashly Danielle Johnson, 30, 403 N. Columbia St., Warsaw; Nicole Rae Pearson, 31, 418 S. Washington St., Warsaw; Andrew M. Taylor, 31, 107 E. County Line Road, Syracuse; Joshua Lee Herr, 40, 500 Short St., Nappanee; and Nicholas Scott Stahl, 30, 209 E. High St., Etna Green, are each charged with visiting a common nuisance, a class B misdemeanor.

At 11 p.m. on Jan. 27, officers were taking part in a multi-agency warrant blitz and had an active arrest warrant for Robert K. Powell, 30, at Little Crow Lofts, 201 S. Detroit St., Warsaw.

Upon arrival, officers were advised by a person that they hoped the officers were going to Apartment 264. When officers asked what was going on, the person said that every night from about 11 p.m. until 5 a.m., there are a lot of people at Apartment 264.

According to court documents, officers knocked on the door of apartment 264 and a man answered. Officers asked the man if Powell was in the apartment and he said yes. While entering the apartment, officers saw several people in the apartment and identified them as Hawthorne, Collins, Powell, Johnson and Pearson.

Officers told Powell that he had an active arrest warrant. They then noticed a syringe laying on a shelf that was part of a light fixture between where Hawthorne and Collins were sitting. Powell was arrested and removed from the apartment.

Officers then saw three other men sitting in another room and noticed one of them attempt to place a cup over a glass smoking device. The three men were later identified as Taylor, Herr and Stahl.

The man who answered the door said he was the apartment’s tenant and gave officers permission to search the apartment.

In a black backpack where Powell and Johnson had been sitting, officers found a wallet containing a bank card with Powell’s name on it. They also found a syringe, digital scales with methamphetamine residue, and a plastic bag with six hypodermic syringes.

Officers then searched the couch where Collins, Powell and Johnson had been sitting. Officers found a wallet and a hypodermic syringe that tested positive for methamphetamine. The wallet contained Collins’ identification. It was apparent that Collins had attempted to hide the syringe and wallet prior to being arrested.

The apartment’s tenant took officers to the south bedroom and pointed out several drug items, including a smoking device, baggies, digital scales, and other various drug paraphernalia, all with residue.

Eleven hypodermic syringes with needles were found in the apartment; five of them were found in various places inside the apartment and six were found inside Powell’s backpack.

As of this story’s writing, the apartment’s tenant is not facing any criminal charges. However, Little Crow Lofts is in the process of evicting the tenant, according to court documents.

Pearson has an initial hearing in this matter at 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26. All other aforementioned defendants have initial hearings for this case in March.

Two additional people who were in the apartment at the time of this incident also do not have criminal charges filed against them in this matter at this point in time.