Staff Report

Philip Ryan Shriver

WARSAW — A Warsaw man was recently arrested for illegally possessing a gun as a convicted felon.

Philip Ryan Shriver, 37, 1404 E. Market St., Warsaw, is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, a level 4 felony; carrying a handgun with a prior felony conviction and possession of methamphetamine, both level 5 felonies; possession of methamphetamine, a level 6 felony; possession of marijuana, a class B misdemeanor; possession of paraphernalia, a class C misdemeanor; and possession of marijuana, a class A misdemeanor.

On July 23, a Warsaw Police officer noticed a vehicle drive left of center two times on Winona Avenue. The officer pulled the vehicle over and identified its driver as Shriver.

According to court documents, as the officer was preparing to use a K9 unit, Shriver said he had a bag of marijuana in his pocket. Since Shriver had marijuana on his person, a search was conducted on the vehicle.

While searching the vehicle, officers found a plastic bag containing 3.8 grams of methamphetamine. The bag of marijuana on Shriver’s person weighed 4.6 grams. Officers also found a handgun, a handgun magazine and drug paraphernalia. The handgun had a magazine inserted and a round in the chamber.

Shriver said the methamphetamine and paraphernalia belonged to him. He told officers he knew his relative’s handgun was in the vehicle.

Shriver is considered a serious violent felon, having been convicted of dealing methamphetamine in May 2020 in Marshall County. Shriver’s probation in that case was terminated in June 2022.

Shriver has four prior methamphetamine possession convictions from Marshall County. He was previously convicted of syringe possession in July 2012 in Starke County. Shriver also has prior convictions of possession of precursors and resisting law enforcement in July 2009 in Starke County.

For the Kosciusko County case, Shriver was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail on July 23.