A Lafayette man has been sentenced to 24 years in the Department of Corrections for dealing fentanyl, according to a press release from Cass County Prosecutor Noah Schafer. The sentence follows a guilty plea entered on the morning of April 22 of this year, moments before he was set to begin a jury trial. The charges stem from a vehicle pursuit that occurred in the early morning of April 26, 2021. Cass County Sheriff Deputy Michael Thomison observed a black sedan driven by 24-year-old Cameron Gonzales traveling 85 mph at U.S. 24 and County Road 1000 E. Thomison attempted to conduct a traffic stop for the speeding car, and a chase ensued that reached speeds in excess of 140 mph. Cass County Deputy Nick Bowyer and Officer Cody Koedam of the Logansport Police Department deployed stop sticks, disabling the car. During the sentencing hearing, Bowyer testified that the vehicle narrowly missed him and Koedam as it sped through the intersection of the Anoka currency exchange and then onto U.S. 35 and 18th St., the news release said. A search of the vehicle turned up 47 pounds of marijuana, 52 fentanyl pills, more than $83,000 in drug trafficking money and multiple firearms, including a Glock pistol with a selector switch that allowed the weapon to fire in fully automatic mode. The accused co-defendants, 22-year-old Bishop Brown and 22-year-old Ronald Wells, both of Lafayette, were also in the vehicle. Gonzales pleaded not guilty to all charges in court, meaning he did not have a plea agreement with the state, the news release said. He was sentenced to 24 years for dealing fentanyl, a Level 2 felony; dealing marijuana, a Level 5 felony; resisting law enforcement, a Level 6 felony; and carrying a firearm without a license, a Class A misdemeanor. Wells pleaded guilty to marijuana-related charges in 2022. Brown was tried by a Cass County jury in August and convicted of marijuana-related and firearm offenses and acquitted of fentanyl-related charges. They were also charged and convicted in armed robberies that occurred in Lafayette following the Cass County incident. Gonzales also pleaded guilty in Tippecanoe County to psilocybin dealing and domestic violence, and faces sentencing in October on that offense. He, Brown, and Wells still face attempted murder charges in Monroe County, Michigan for another unrelated drive-by shooting. “We are grateful to the Cass County Sheriff’s Department and Logansport Police Department for the arrest and investigation in this case and for all they do to put their lives on the line for our community every day,” Schafer said in the release. “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.”
A Lafayette man has been sentenced to 24 years in the Department of Corrections for dealing fentanyl, according to a press release from Cass County Prosecutor Noah Schafer. The sentence follows a guilty plea entered on the morning of April 22 of this year, moments before he was scheduled to begin a jury trial.
The charges stem from a pursuit that occurred in the early morning of April 26, 2021. Cass County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Thomison observed a black sedan driven by 24-year-old Cameron Gonzales traveling at 85 mph at U.S. 24 and County Road 1000 E. Thomison attempted to pull the driver over for speeding, prompting a chase that increased speeds to over 140 mph.
Cass County Deputy Nick Bowyer and Logansport Police Officer Cody Koedam deployed stop sticks, disabling the car. During the sentencing hearing, Bowyer testified that the vehicle narrowly missed him and Koedam as it sped through the intersection of the Anoka Exchange and then U.S. 35 and 18th St., the news release said.
A search of the vehicle turned up 47 pounds of marijuana, 52 fentanyl pills, more than $83,000 in drug trafficking money and multiple firearms, including a Glock pistol with a selector switch that allowed the weapon to fire in fully automatic mode. The accused co-defendants, 22-year-old Bishop Brown and 22-year-old Ronald Wells, both of Lafayette, were also in the vehicle.
Gonzales pleaded openly in court to all charges, meaning he did not have a plea agreement with the state, the news release said. He was sentenced to 24 years for dealing fentanyl, a Level 2 felony, dealing marijuana, a Level 5 felony, resisting law enforcement, a Level 6 felony, and carrying a handgun without a license, a Class A misdemeanor.
Wells pleaded guilty to marijuana-related charges in 2022. Brown was tried by a Cass County jury in August and convicted of marijuana-related and firearms offenses and acquitted of fentanyl-related charges. They were also charged and convicted in armed robberies that occurred in Lafayette following the Cass County incident.
Gonzales also pleaded guilty in Tippecanoe County to psilocybin trafficking and domestic violence, and faces sentencing in October for that crime. He, Brown and Wells still face attempted murder charges in Monroe County, Michigan for a separate, unrelated drive-by shooting.
“We are grateful to the Cass County Sheriff’s Department and Logansport Police Department for the arrest and investigation in this case and for all they do to put their lives on the line for our community every day,” Schafer said in the release. “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.”
