By Paul Garrod
Staff Writer
ANTWERP TWP. – Van Buren County Sheriff Daniel Abbott reported that on Nov. 29, 2022, the Van Buren County Narcotics unit executed a search warrant in the 66000 block of 26th Street in Lawton. The Narcotics Unit had been getting multiple tips about a house in the area that was selling and using methamphetamine.
Detectives were given information that this was a flop house for anyone who wanted to come and stay and use methamphetamine. When detectives executed the search warrant multiple subjects were inside and outside the house, including two children under the age of eight. After a residence search was complete and child protective services removed the eight children, a report was sent to the Van Buren County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
The subjects all had warrants issued for their arrest, based off the search that was conducted on Nov. 29, 2022. On Feb. 16, 2023, detectives with the Van Buren County Narcotics Unit and Uniform Response Division went to multiple locations in Lawton, and Paw Paw to arrest the subjects. All subjects were transported to the Van Buren County Jail. They included: Tessa Bunch, 31, of Paw Paw, possession of methamphetamine; Eric White, 31, of Paw Paw, possession of methamphetamine; Christopher Hewitt, 44, of Lawton, possession of methamphetamine, James Williams, 53, of Lawton, possession of methamphetamine; Paul Chamness, 44, of Lawton, possession of methamphetamine; and Robert Thomas, 50, of Lawton, possession of methamphetamine.
Anyone with information can contact the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office at (269) 657-3101, Crime Stoppers 1-800-342-7867, Silent Observer (269) 343-2100 or your local police department.
Mobile phone users and online users can provide anonymous crime tips to the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office by sending a text Tip Soft message by sending a text message to “CRIMES” (274637) with the keyword VBCTIP from a mobile phone. To submit an online tip, go to: www.vbcsheriff.com and at the top of the homepage follow the directions to submit a tip.
The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit is a multi-agency drug enforcement team comprised of deputies from the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office and officers from the South Haven Police Department.