VAN WERT — The Van Wert County Sheriff’s Office and the Van Wert Police Department were releasing few details Wednesday evening concerning several search warrants that were executed shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday.
“Because of the type of investigation that is going on, I can’t release a whole lot of information at this point,” Van Wert County Sheriff’ Thomas Riggenbach said.
Riggenbach said the Sheriff’s Office served search warrants at four separate locations, including 7266 Middle Point-Wetzel Road, 304 S. Adams St., and two farmland locations near the intersections of Church and Middle Point-Wetzel roads and Slane and Galvin roads. He said the search warrants were executed to assist the Van Wert Police Department in an investigation it was conducting. All were listed as Middle Point addresses.
Officers with gloved hands could be observed going in and out of the property on South Adams Street searching the premises.
Also, Jim Everett with the Allen County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the office’s dive team was requested by the Van Wert County Sheriff’s Office for a briefing Wednesday morning. Riggenbach said the dive team was called to search a body of water located at one of the rural locations. He would not release any other information because of the active investigation.
Riggenbach would neither confirm nor deny there were any deaths, but said the “assistance of the Van Wert County coroner was not needed and he was not called to the scene.”
According to the Van Wert County Auditor’s Office, the Adams Street property is owned by Dale H. Gear. The Middle Point-Wetzel address owner was listed as Pine Cone Farms Inc. According to the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office, Gear is the owner of Pine Cone Farms.
Riggenbach said once more information was available, a joint statement with Van Wert Police Chief Joel Hammond would be released. He said more information could be available as early as Thursday depending on how the investigation proceeded.
Riggenbach said the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office were also at the scene aiding in the investigation.
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