COLUMBUS, Ind. – An Edinburgh man was taken into custody by the Columbus SWAT Team during high-risk warrant service on Friday, October 31.
Law enforcement received information about the location of 53-year-old Jerel Barger of Edinburgh at around 10 a.m. He was wanted on a level 2 felony narcotics dealing warrant issued out of Johnson County. It was determined that the suspect was located at a residence on East County Road 900N in Bartholomew County.
Due to Barger’s lengthy criminal history, the Columbus SWAT Team was used to serve the arrest warrant. The Columbus SWAT Team is made up of officers from the Columbus Police Department and deputies from the Sheriff’s Office. The man was apprehended without incident and then transferred to Johnson County.
Sheriff Chris Lane praised the multi-agency effort, saying, “If you allegedly committed felony dealing crimes outside Bartholomew County and plan to come here to a remote part of our county, that does not mean we won’t find you. Through cooperation with multiple agencies, this individual was found and taken into custody.”
This investigation was the result of multiple law enforcement agencies, including the local Joint Narcotics Enforcement Task Force (JNET), Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office, Columbus Police Department, Indiana State Police, and Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.
