SCOTT COUNTY RECENTLY BOOKED/SCOTT COUNTY JAIL
5/27/26-6/1/26

Elderly Woman in Austin, Indiana Faces Drug Charges

A 70-year-old Austin woman was charged with possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia after police responded to a report of an overdose.

Shortly after 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 14, Austin Police Officer Josh Vires responded to apartments in the 1100 block of Bond Street on the report of a possible overdose.

When he arrived he was met by Ellen White, sister of the victim. The officer observed an elderly female lying on the couch. As the officer tried to check her pulse, the woman pulled away and stood up.

Debora E. Anderson told the officer she had not taken anything and was just sleepy.

White told the officer that Anderson spends the majority of her time upstairs where her bedroom is located. She told the officer she believed there were illegal narcotics in the upstairs bathroom.

Vires entered the bathroom and saw a white crystal like substance wrapped in cellophane on top on a trash can. The substance later tested positive for methamphetamine,

According to the probable cause affidavit, White told the officer that Anderson had two friends over earlier in the evening. The three went upstairs for a little while and the sister said after they left, Anderson was “messed up.”

Anderson told the officer that the located substance was not hers and that she had been clean for a long time. “They must have left it,” Anderson said according to the court document.

Since Anderson was on home detention and wearing a monitoring bracelet, Vires contacted Community Corrections officer Rebecca Hollan to conduct a home check.

Officer Hollan located white crystal like substance and a clear glass pipe with white crystal substance in the bedroom she had been using.

Vires transported Anderson to Scott County Jail where she was booked at 10:10 p.m. and now faces felony charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. Scott Circuit Court Magistrate Alison Frazier set Anderson’s bond at $35,000.

Vigilant Citizen Provides a “Tip” after the Release of the Sex and Violent Offender Registry Video – Citizens and Deputies Keeping Scott County Safe!

Scott County- On 5-09-2026, a vigilant citizen made an anonymous report after viewing the Sex and Violent Offender Registry video recently released by the Scott County Sheriff’s Office. After verifying the information provided and confirming that the sex offender, identified as Jonathan Daniel Cole, 38, last known address of 401 Red Oak Way, Austin, Indiana, was wanted in Scott County, Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a restaurant in Scottsburg where Cole was located and subsequently arrested. The arrest warrant, issued by the Scott Circuit Court in August 2025, revealed Cole was wanted for two (2) counts of Failure to Register as a Sex or Violent Offender.

Scott County Sheriff Jerry Goodin advised the following … “when you have an informed public, the possibilities are endless. The video, released on Friday, spoke to all of us about our responsibility in keeping our community safe…this offender undoubtedly thought he could ignore the rules of the registry. Thanks to a vigilant citizen, this offender is no longer roaming free in society based on a bad choice he made. A message to the other 23,800+ deputy citizens in Scott County, KEEP THOSE TIPS COMING!”

NOTE: If you have information to provide that would assist the Scott County Sheriff’s Office in making our community safer, please call 812-752-5550. You can remain anonymous…together, we are making a difference.

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Dawson

Contact Sheriff Jerry Goodin at Scott County Sheriff’s Office (812)752-8400.

All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

SCOTT COUNTY