Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
A Pierceton man is facing multiple drug charges after one of two women he was partying with died from an injection mixed with heroin and methamphetamine.
Charges against Darren Jay Heinzman, 36, of 4409 E. CR 100S, Pierceton, include dealing in a narcotic drug, a level 5 felony; possession of a narcotic drug, a level 6 felony; dealing in methamphetamine, a level 5 felony; possession of methamphetamine, a level 6 felony; and possession of a syringe, a level 6 felony. His bond was set at $50,000 surety and $250 cash.
On March 31, Warsaw Police officer Chuck Hodges responded to a call of an unresponsive woman at the Warsaw Lodge Hotel. Upon arrival, he found a woman on a bed that appeared dead. Another woman in the room, Chelsea Wineland, identified the woman as Traci Craig, 29, Warsaw, court documents filed Tuesday state.
Hodges also saw empty plastic bags with white powdery residue that tested positive for heroin. Officers also found a plastic bag that contained methamphetamine and heroin.
Medical technicians arrived and took Craig to the hospital where she later died, according to court documents. Her obituary states that she died April 3 at Lutheran Hospital of Indiana in Fort Wayne.
Wineland told Warsaw officer Brad Kellar that Heinzman rented the room. She said the three met at the hotel and Heinzman sold Craig heroin for $20.
While in the room, a man delivered Heinzman a half gram of methamphetamine, according to the court documents. Heinzman then divided the half gram up in thirds and furnished Craig and Wineland with the meth to mix with the heroin.
Wineland said Heinzman went into the bathroom to inject himself with the mix and she went into the bathroom and also injected herself with a mixture of the heroin and meth.
Craig then followed suit. After she came out of the bathroom, she sat on the bed and fell over unconscious. Heinzman and Wineland attempted to help her but she did not respond.
Heinzman refused to let Wineland call the police because he had outstanding warrants. He gathered up the his items and left the hotel and Wineland then called police.
Kellar spoke with Heinzman who admitted selling Craig $20 of heroin. He then repeated Wineland’s account but said he attempted CPR for five to 10 minutes. He then gathered up his items from the room and left, hiding the items by the laundromat at Valley Forge Apartments.
Heinzman advised Kellar that he should get the items because children may find them. He also said Wineland provided the syringes.
WPD officer Trent Shively went to the laundromat area and found a black bag that contained syringes, glass pipes and a rubber band.
Craig and Heinzman were arrested March 19 on drug charges at 3699 N. CR 175E, lot 63, Warsaw.
Craig was arrested and booked into the Kosciusko County Jail at 9:59 a.m. March 19 on a preliminary charge of failure to appear and preliminary bond of $283, according to her booking information.
Heinzman was also booked at 12:07 p.m. March 19 on preliminary charges of dealing meth, dealing a narcotic 1 to 5 grams and possession of paraphernalia. His preliminary bond was set at $15,250, his booking information states.
He was booked into the jail at 8:15 p.m. March 31 on two counts of probation violation with a bond set at $10,250.
On March 30 he was arrested for neglect of a dependent, a level 5 felony, and two level 6 felonies of neglect of a dependent after leaving a small child unattended March 19 for over 13 hours.
Heinzman previously was convicted and sentenced for stalking, a Class C felony in 2012 and possession of a narcotic drug, a Class D felony, in 2017.
