Thompson
For the second time in four months, a Jackson County man has been arrested for dealing methamphetamine, police report.
Matthew Darren Thompson, 40, of Medora faces new charges of dealing meth, a Level 2 felony; possession of methamphetamine, a Level 3 felony; possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, a Level 4 felony; and possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia, both misdemeanors.
He was booked into the Jackson County Jail in Brownstown at 5:37 p.m. Aug. 16 and is still being held there without bond.
Medora Town Marshal Jeff Walters said at the time of the arrest, Thompson was out of jail on a $10,005 bond and failed to appear for a court hearing in July, so a warrant had been issued for his arrest.
Walters gathered information and knew Thompson to be at his father’s home on First Street in Medora. At the home, Walters said a family member let him and Medora Police Department Officer Steve Ingle inside.
When they went to Thompson’s bedroom, they found him partially standing in a closet. Walters said Thompson then resisted arrest but was tased and detained.
Outside the home, police conducted a patdown of Thompson and found 19 grams of meth, a set of digital scales and marijuana, which were collected for evidence purposes, Walters said. By this time, Jackson County Sheriff’s Department Officer Mark Holt arrived to assist.
A female homeowner then told Walters she wanted to make sure nothing of Thompson’s was left behind, so during a sweep over the area where Thompson had been sitting and where he was arrested, Walters said he found a firearm on top of some clothing in the closet. Police also took that into custody for evidence purposes.
The next day at the jail, Walters spoke to Thompson to obtain his DNA, and the suspect said the firearm was his, Walters said. During the investigation, Thompson also admitted to dealing meth again, police said.
The meth dealing charge was enhanced this time due to Thompson being in possession of a firearm, and the possession of meth charge was a higher felony due to the weight of the meth, Walters said.
On April 28, Walters arrested Thompson in front of the Jackson County Judicial Center in Brownstown, where he was making a court appearance for a prior arrest.
Walters transported Thompson to the jail for an interview, and then Indiana State Police Trooper Matt Powell, who had assisted with the investigation, remanded him into the jail.
Walters said he and Powell had been working a lengthy narcotics investigation for several months, and that ended up leading to Thompson’s arrest on a Level 2 felony charge of dealing meth. Part of the investigation had been done in Medora.
A Level 2 felony carries a prison sentence of 10 to 30 years with an advisory sentence of 17½ years upon conviction.
According to mycase.in.gov, Thompson has a lengthy criminal history, including several felony charges filed against him for meth.