SYRACUSE - Police converged on a Syracuse business Wednesday afternoon, surprising the owner, employees and patrons in hopes of shutting down an alleged "crack house," police said.

Robert E. Miles, 50, was taken into custody at his auto repair shop, Miles Auto Clinic, 106 S. Huntington St., on charges of dealing crack cocaine (less than 3 grams), a Class B felony.

Also arrested there was Miles' girlfriend, 27-year-old Angela A. Wineland, of 11829 N. Acorn Drive, Syracuse. She is charged with two counts of dealing crack cocaine (less than 3 grams), both Class B felonies, and is also being held on a warrant from Elkhart County for theft.

Bond for Miles and Wineland was set at $10,000 each.

The arrests were part of a countywide drug raid that resulted in 10 of 16 suspects being jailed. Officials said this is the first in a series of drug raids planned for Kosciusko County.

Although 16 people were wanted for various drug-related charges from this raid, police said that Miles was "the big one."

"The business was a crack house," an undercover police officer said. "We were receiving tips for quite a while - up to a year - but it all came together in the last three weeks as far as purchases."

No drugs or paraphernalia were found at the business, but police said that is not uncommon with crack dealers. Police are not sure what age groups were targeted as customers, but noted that "there's a lot of people in and out of that place."

Police said this is not the first time they have dealt with Miles insofar as drugs are concerned and pointed out that he was arrested in at least one drug raid 10 years ago.

Passersby to the business on Ind. 13 (Huntington Street) appeared surprised by the number of police cars and officers, and many of the curious gathered across the street in the Kentucky Fried Chicken parking lot.

When police stormed the building, everyone in the business was ordered to the ground at gunpoint and handcuffed until their identities were learned. Four of the six people questioned were released.

Wednesday's arrests came just one day after an impromptu drug raid at a Warsaw hotel in which two men were arrested. Ironically, 17-year-old Fernando Ramos of Warsaw, who was arrested Tuesday, was scheduled to be picked up during Wednesday's drug sweep.

Also arrested on warrants Wednesday were:

• Lowell Kenneth Collins, 32, of 209 E. High St., Etna Green, charged with dealing marijuana (less than 30 grams), a Class A misdemeanor. Bond: $20,000.

• Jamie Marie Sloan Hale, 20, of 1120 E. Winona Ave., Warsaw, charged with dealing cocaine (more than 3 grams), a Class A felony. Bond: $20,000.

• Edwin W. Reeves, 48, of 8680 U.S. 30E #80, Pierceton, charged with dealing cocaine (less than 3 grams), a Class B felony. Bond: $10,000.

Additionally, an inmate in the Kosciusko County Jail, Roger William Reed, 43, was served with a warrant for dealing cocaine (less than 3 grams), a Class B felony, with a bond of $10,000.

One man, John R. Medley, 33, of Warsaw, was taken into custody earlier this week in Whitley County on charges of dealing cocaine (less than 3 grams), a Class B felony, and conspiracy to deal cocaine, a Class A felony. He is being held in the Whitley County Jail on $50,000 bond.

Two other men, Benjamin Hal Hampton, 22, of 3757 N. CR 900W #105, Cromwell, charged with possession of marijuana, a Class A misdemeanor; and Dario C. Dominguez, 26, of 3757 N. CR 900W #164, Cromwell, charged with dealing cocaine (less than 3 grams), a Class B felony, and dealing cocaine, (more than 3 grams), a Class A felony, were taken into custody Wednesday morning in Noble County.

Warrants remain outstanding on the following people:

• Thomas Seaburg, 23, no address given, charged with possession of marijuana (more than 30 grams), a Class D felony.

• James Lee Lewis, 35, no address given, charged with possession of cocaine, a Class D felony.

• Andy W. Long, 26, no address given, charged with possession of marijuana, a Class A misdemeanor.

• Michael N. Jacobs, 21, no address given, charged with possession of marijuana, a Class D felony.

• Terri A. Medley, 38, no address given, charged with dealing cocaine (less than 30 grams), a Class B felony.

• Travis J. Johnson, 21, no address given, charged with possession of a controlled substance, a Class D felony.

Wednesday's raid was a collaborative effort among the Kosciusko County Special Operations Team, Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department, Warsaw and Syracuse police departments and Indiana State Police. Officers from the Whitley and Noble county drug units aided in the investigations by making drug purchases from suspects. [[In-content Ad]]