A drug overdose at a Scottsburg convenience store led to the arrest of four Scott County residents in a domino drug investigation last month.
Around 9 p.m. on Tuesday, July 23, deputies were summoned to a convenience store on North Gardner Streeet (US 31) in Scottsburg where a man had apparently overdosed in the restroom. Deputy Charles Morgan administered Narcan which brought the victim around until Scott County EMS arrived and took over treatment.
Morgan reported that next to the victim was a plastic bag containing round blue pills the deputy identified at fentanyl.
While being treated at Scott Hospital, the victim told the deputy that he had purchased 24 pills from Beth Albertson paying her $600 via a phone cash app, according to the probable cause affidavit.
The victim’s wife provided the deputy with screen shots of the drug transaction payment.
On Friday July 26, deputies charged Elizabeth ‘Beth’ Frances Marie Albertson, 27, of Broadway Street in Austin with dealing in a narcotic drug. As a result of that arrest, deputies acquired information of other people involved in drug activity in Scott County. In interviewing Albertson, she told authorities that she had been selling pills for a man named Morton for over a year, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Deputies continued their investigation leading to three more Scott County residents taken into custody on drug charges last Tuesday, July 30.
Acting on information from Albertson, a search warrant was executed at 1554 Green Acres Drive, Scottsburg where Christopher Morton, 40, was arrested on two counts of dealing in a narcotic drug, and dealing in fentanyl.
During their search, deputies located 196 blue colored pills containing fentanyl (street name “Dirty Thirties”) and over $1,000 in cash. According to Scott County Sheriff Jerry Goodin, the street value of the pills is approximately $15 a pill. “These pills are not a pharmaceutical product. They are homemade with a pill press,” said Goodin.
The arrests and investigation did not stop there with deputies going to a Scottsburg city owned property arresting Caleb Morgan, 29, of Austin for possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, maintaining a common nuisance, possession of marijuana, ghost employment and dealing in a narcotic drug.
Continuing their investigation, deputies went to 6878 North Jack Morgan Road northeast of Austin, arresting Shelby Shepherd, 28, for possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, possession of paraphernalia and maintaining a common nuisance.
“This was a major bust,” said the sheriff. “Anytime the Dirty Thirty pills can be taken off the street, lives will be saved. Law Enforcement feels that these blue Dirty Thirty pills are the source of several overdose deaths across Indiana and Kentucky,” said Goodin.
All those arrested were incarcerated at the Scott County Jail awaiting their initial court appearance.