Lafayette man sentenced to 24 years for dealing fentanyl
Last Updated on September 7, 2024 by Cass County Communication Network
SOURCE: News release from Office of Cass County Prosecuting Attorney
LOGANSPORT – Prosecutor Noah Schafer announced that Cameron Gonzales, 24, of Lafayette, was sentenced to 24 years in the Department of Corrections for Dealing in Fentanyl, a Level 2 Felony; Dealing in Marijuana, a Level 5 Felony, Resisting Law Enforcement, a Level 6 Felony, and Carrying a Handgun without a License, an A Misdemeanor. This sentence follows a guilty plea entered on the morning of April 22, 2024, moments before Gonzales was scheduled to begin a jury trial. Gonzales plead open to the court to all charges, meaning that he did not have any plea agreement with the State.
The charges stem from a vehicle pursuit that occurred on the early morning of April 26, 2021, when Cass County Sheriff Deputy Michael Thomison observed a black sedan driven by Cameron Gonzales driving 85 mph on US 24 and County Road 1000 E. Thomison attempted a traffic stop for the speeding, and a pursuit ensued which reached speeds exceeding 140 mph. The sedan was ultimately disabled by stop sticks deployed by Deputy Bowyer of Cass County and Officer Cody Koedem of the Logansport Police Department. At the sentencing hearing, Deputy Bowyer testified that the vehicle narrowly missed striking him and Officer Koedam as it sped through the intersection of the Anoka exchange and then US35 and 18th St.
A search of the vehicle located 47 lbs of Marijuana, 52 Fentanyl pills, over $83,000 worth of drug dealing funds, and multiple firearms including a Glock handgun with a selector switch making the gun capable of fully automatic fire. Also in the vehicle were charged codefendants Bishop Brown, 22, of Lafayette, and Ronald Wells, 22, also of Lafayette. Wells pleaded guilty to charges related to dealing marijuana in 2022. Brown was tried by a Cass County Jury in August and convicted of dealing marijuana and firearms offenses and acquitted of charges relating to fentanyl. Brown and Wells have also been charged and convicted of armed robberies that occurred in Lafayette after the incident in Cass County. Gonzales also plead guilty in Tippecanoe County to charges of dealing psilocybin and domestic battery, and faces sentencing for that crime in October. All three still face charges of attempted murder in Monroe County, Michigan for another unrelated drive-by shooting.
Said Prosecutor Schafer of the case: “We’re grateful to the Cass County Sheriff’s Department and the Logansport Police Department for the apprehension and investigation conducted in this case, and for all they do to put their lives on the line for our community every day. They keep our streets and highways safe for citizens. Drug dealers, on the other hand, should find business routes that don’t take them through Cass County.”