Staff Report

WARSAW — Three people living together in Warsaw face multiple drug charges after officers learned drug dealing was happening at the residence.

Jennifer Sue Cole, 44, 317 W. Smith St., Warsaw, is charged with conspiring to commit dealing methamphetamine, a level 2 felony; corrupt business influence, a level 5 felony; possession of methamphetamine, possession of a syringe, maintaining a common nuisance, and obstruction of justice, all level 6 felonies; possession of marijuana, a class B misdemeanor; possession of paraphernalia, a class C misdemeanor; and possession of marijuana with a prior conviction and possession of paraphernalia with a prior conviction, both class A misdemeanors.

Brandon John Bellamy, 42, 317 W. Smith St., Warsaw, is charged with possession of methamphetamine, a level 6 felony; and possession of paraphernalia, a class C misdemeanor.

Dennis R. Deaton Jr., 49, 317 W. Smith St., Warsaw, faces 13 criminal charges. An affidavit detailing Deaton’s involvement was published in January.

On Jan. 7, a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office deputy conducted a traffic stop. The driver was identified as Bellamy. During the stop, a K9 unit alerted to narcotics in the vehicle.

Officers searched the vehicle and found methamphetamine, a black portable safe and a torch lighter.

According to court documents, Bellamy said there was about $23,000 inside the safe, as well as a set of keys. During the investigation, Bellamy contacted Cole, who was on probation at the time. Bellamy told officers that when Cole arrived at the scene to pick up his vehicle, he would open the safe so officers could see what was inside.

In his conversation with Cole, Bellamy asked her to check him out of his room and get all of his belongings out of there. He was particularly insistent that Cole grab a storage box, which had a numeric key pad entry and was affixed to the floor of his living quarters.

Upon Cole’s arrival, Bellamy opened the safe in his vehicle by using a keypad entry.

Officers were able to observe a large amount of cash; however, Bellamy quickly closed the safe and locked it. Bellamy was then taken into custody while officers applied for a search warrant for the safe.

Upon searching the safe, officers found $20,370 in currency, bundled in $500 groups. The interior of the safe was swabbed with a field testing kit, which resulted in a positive test for methamphetamine, amphetamine, or fentanyl.

On Jan. 7, Bellamy spoke to Cole on the phone from the Kosciusko County Jail. During the conversation, Cole told Bellamy she gathered his belongings and put them in his vehicle. That same day, Cole was picked up from the West Smith Street residence by two individuals and driven to the jail. Bellamy’s vehicle was still parked at the residence at that time. The plate on Bellamy’s vehicle returned as false and fictitious.

On Jan. 8, a Warsaw Police officer was on patrol in the area of West Smith Street when he noticed a vehicle traveling with an expired license plate. The officer conducted a traffic stop and the driver, a woman, pulled her vehicle into a parking area adjacent to 317 W. Smith St.

The woman said she typically goes to 317 W. Smith St. to visit Cole. She also said Cole’s spouse, Deaton, stays at the residence often.

During the traffic stop, Cole exited the residence at 317 W. Smith St. and wanted the officer to explain what was going on. Cole told the officer the woman was not her friend and that she doesn’t know her. However, officers later noticed the woman enter the residence at 317 W. Smith St.

That same day, a Warsaw Police officer noticed the vehicle with an expired license plate traveling east on West Smith Street. The officer pulled the vehicle over and identified the driver as Deaton.

During the traffic stop, officers discovered a substantial amount of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

Deaton also contacted Cole during the traffic stop.

On Jan. 9, an Indiana State Trooper obtained a search warrant for 317 W. Smith St. In Cole’s bedroom, officers found three hypodermic needles, drug paraphernalia, a small bag containing marijuana and $3,800 of currency.

Cole admitted that she knew Deaton and Bellamy both dealt drugs. She also told the trooper she uses her cellphone to facilitate drug transactions through social media. Cole said she had used methamphetamine a couple days prior to the search warrant being served.

On Jan. 11, the trooper received a search warrant for Cole’s phone. Several items were found which show that Cole was involved in dealing illegal drugs.

Text messages from Dec. 14 to Dec. 31, 2021, show Cole making arrangements with a man for drug purchases.

Officers also found a video on the phone in which Cole and another woman enter a room that Deaton is in. The woman requests a certain amount of drugs and Cole is shown retrieving a digital scale.

During the cellphone’s examination, officers needed to connect the phone to WiFi to access additional information. When the phone was connected, a message immediately appeared that the phone was being remotely wiped of its information by a Google email account in the name of Cole.

On Jan. 17, officers spoke with Cole about the message regarding the phone being wiped. Cole said she was worried about what the phone’s contents were and figured out that there was an application she could use to remotely wipe the phone. Cole confirmed it was her email account that had wiped the phone.

Cole said she was dealing drugs to make ends meet. She was previously convicted of methamphetamine and paraphernalia possession in Kosciusko County in February 2020.

Cole was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail on Feb. 10, with a $25,250 surety and cash bond.

Bellamy has a pretrial conference regarding this case in April.