By Brent Brown
Greensburg Daily News
GREENSBURG — A Decatur County man was jailed over the weekend on multiple felony charges after he allegedly punched a fellow bar patron and later attempted to swallow illicit drugs in an effort to hide potential evidence following his arrest.
Decatur County Deputy Sheriffs arrested Kyle M. Wise, 29, of the 2400 block of East CR 810 South, shortly before 4 a.m. Saturday after police arrived during a fight between the suspect and another man outside of the Beach Tiki Bar and Grill in the 100 block of North Broadway.
According to a police report summarizing the case, Wise was arrested after he punched another man in the face multiple times and threw him to the ground, causing injury and bleeding.
Wise was detained and later transported to the Decatur County Jail where multiple illegal drugs were found to be in his possession.
When told to empty his pockets during the booking process at the jail, Wise is alleged to have removed marijuana and prescription pain relief medication from his pockets. During a subsequent search by jail staff, an officer noticed a dropped plastic bag containing a white powdery substance which Wise is alleged to have quickly picked up from the floor and attempted to swallow.
Officers prevented Wise from swallowing the substance, which was later identified as methamphetamine, and found an additional bag of the same drug in the suspect’s mouth. Wise tried again to swallow a second drug-filled bag, but he was unsuccessful in doing so. Wise then spat the meth-filled baggie on the floor, according to the police report.
The incident resulted in multiple charges filed Monday in the Decatur Superior Court.
Court documents state Wise was charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana and attempted obstruction of justice, all of which are felonies. He also faces a misdemeanor battery charge.
Wise has previously been convicted of multiple offenses in Decatur County.
The Indiana Department of Correction website states Wise was convicted in January 2013 on charges of operating a vehicle after a lifetime suspension and resisting law enforcement. Prior to that, he was convicted of two counts operating a vehicle as a habitual traffic violator. Those sentences were handed down in 2009.
Additionally, Wise was convicted of possession of cocaine or a narcotic drug and possession of marijuana in 2007, according to the state’s Department of Correction.
Wise remained incarcerated in the Decatur County Jail by Daily News press time Monday. Neither a court date nor a bond amount had been set by that afternoon.