Pubdate: Fri, 16 Mar 2007
Source: Indianapolis Star (IN)
Copyright: 2007 Indianapolis Newspapers Inc.
Contact: http://www.indystar.com/help/contact/letters.html
Website: http://www.starnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/210
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

DRIVER SWALLOWS METH BAGS, DIES

PETERSBURG, Ind. -- A southern Indiana man died soon after swallowing 
several small bags of methamphetamine as a sheriff's deputy was 
pulling his car over, authorities said.

An autopsy found that Shane Crume, 22, had seven small plastic bags 
of meth -- all with twist ties around them -- in his stomach area 
along with another bag stuck in his esophagus.

Crume, of rural Petersburg, was arrested early Wednesday after a Pike 
County sheriff's deputy stopped his car on Ind. 56 about 40 miles 
north of Evansville after a tip from state police that he was 
transporting drugs, Sheriff Todd Meadors said.

Crume and his girlfriend, who was a passenger in the car, were 
arrested after deputies searching the car found a glass pipe with 
burnt residue inside it and found meth in his front pants pocket, police said.

Crume became ill as he was being booked at the Pike County Jail and 
was taken by ambulance to Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes, where 
he was pronounced dead, Meadors said. Crume's girlfriend told 
investigators that he had swallowed the bags of meth as their car was 
being stopped, the sheriff said.

Crume's arrest followed a tip given to police officers in the town of 
Francisco in neighboring Gibson County by a man who was arrested 
after he spit out a bag that contained meth, Francisco Town Marshal 
Vance Lloyd said.

"The death of Shawn Crume is tragic and is evidence of our serious 
methamphetamine problem in southwest Indiana," Lloyd said.

Police said that Crume's 13-year-old sister and his 3-year-old 
daughter were passengers in his car when it was stopped. The Division 
of Family and Children took custody of his daughter and the teen was 
released to her parents.
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