A District Court judge sentenced a Greenwood man with a lengthy criminal history to 20 years in federal prison for trafficking methamphetamine.
Judge Tanya W. Pratt sentenced Eric Middlebrook, 31, for possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine where children are present, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department collected evidence that Middlebrook bought meth in a car in the presence of his pregnant wife and three children, all under age 10, according to a court document filed Aug. 11, arguing whether Middlebrook was a flight risk due to his extensive criminal record and should be considered for pretrial release. Pratt decided Middlebrook was a danger to the community, and granted the prosecution’s request to deny release.
Middlebrook’s extensive criminal history in the Indianapolis area includes more than 15 arrests for drug-related offenses, battery, domestic battery, criminal confinement and stalking, but he had not been convicted of any of the previous crimes, according to court documents.
He was also involved in several area shootings and, in 2019, was charged with his brother’s murder, which he stood trial for and was acquitted of, court documents said.
He has also engaged in drug trafficking for several years in and around Indianapolis, according to the justice department’s news release.
“Drug trafficking brings gun violence that Indianapolis and many other communities across the country are experiencing,” said John Childress, acting U.S. attorney. “We remain committed to working with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to do our part in reducing the violence, getting drugs and weapons off the streets, and delivering justice for the people we serve.”
Investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or ATF, discovered Middlebrook used several individuals to transport methamphetamine and other controlled substances to Indiana from California, which he would then redistribute in the Indianapolis area. He used several different locations, including a rented storage unit, to store and distribute the drugs and to store money and firearms, the news release said.
Federal agents on July 22 executed four search warrants at three properties and the storage unit. Agents located more than 3,700 grams of methamphetamine, fentanyl, several firearms and more than $40,000 cash, despite the fact that Middlebrook had not been employed in more than a year. Three young children were living at Middlebrook’s primary residence on Blue Spruce Court in Greenwood, according to the news release.
There, agents found five pounds of meth, four loaded guns, an ounce of fentanyl and about $6,000 cash, according to court documents.
At another Greenwood residence Middlebrook was known to frequent, in the 2300 block of Willow Lakes East Boulevard, agents found a gun, marijuana and $7,900 cash. At an Indianapolis residence, in the 1900 block of Martin Street, agents found three more guns, meth and $5,500 cash. And in a storage unit registered to Middlebrook, agents found five pounds of meth and $34,000 cash, court documents said.
“ATF’s core mission is reducing violent gun crime in our community,” said Roland H. Herndon, Jr., special agent in charge of ATF’s Columbus Field Division. “Middlebrook was using firearms and threats of violence to further his drug trafficking operation, and clearly endangering the community, including children living in the same home. We are committed to working with our local, state, and federal partners to follow the gun and remove the most violent criminals from our streets.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle P. Brady said Middlebrook must serve 7 years of supervised release following his imprisonment.
