Drug and prostitution search warrants at 3 homes yield narcotics, 12 arrests in Lake County

On Tuesday, a Lake County Sheriff’s Department Drug Task Force investigation into a suspected drug and prostitution ring led to the execution of search warrants at three Gary houses and the arrests of five men and seven women.  The one-year-old child of one of the women arrested was taken into custody by the Indiana Department of Child Services.

Two of the men arrested were believed to have a leadership role in the drug/prostitution organization:

Arthur Boyd, 55,  faces charges including dealing in a narcotic drug with enhancement, dealing in a narcotic drug and resisting law enforcement in a vehicle.

Tandika Jackson, 49, faces charges including possession of cocaine, maintaining a common nuisance and possession of marijuana/paraphernalia.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Department SWAT Team executed search warrants in the morning. The following is a list of the homes searched and the evidence confiscated:

At a home in the 1000 block of Rutledge Street police confiscated 14 grams of fentanyl, two grams of ketamine, one gram of MDMA and two firearms.

At another home in the 1000 Rutledge Street police confiscated eight grams of cocaine.

At a home in the 2000 block of Ohio Street police confiscated four grams of cocaine and two grams of marijuana.

No suspects were located at the first Rutledge Street home listed.

At the second Rutledge Street home listed, three people were arrested, including a 33-year-old pregnant woman who also had a 1-year-old at the residence (DCS custody).  The mother was taken to an area hospital for treatment of medical issues related to her pregnancy.  She faces charges including possession of cocaine with enhancement. Lake County Animal Control also responded to the address and seized two dogs now being cared for at the animal shelter.

At the Ohio Street home, eight people were arrested and face various charges from visiting a common nuisance to possession of cocaine.

Police say the male suspects are said to be from Gary.  The females have last known addresses in Gary, Lake Station, Valparaiso, Porter and Hammond.