A rural Bloomfield man was in court twice this week for initial hearings in two separate cases. He’s accused of a mixture of crimes including letting his pigs run loose in the neighborhood, violating a protective order, possession of meth and growing marijuana in his home.

On Saturday, July 18, the Greene County Sheriff’s Department started getting calls about Branden Strauser’s pigs running loose on East Hollars Road, rural Bloomfield. Since then, law enforcement has responded to the area at least three times and Strauser has been arrested two times, had two criminal cases filed against him, and he’s been in court two times for initial hearings.

Brandon Shane Strauser, 36, Bloomfield, has also bonded out of jail twice. In one case his bond was set at $15,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed – he posted $1,500. In the other, his bond was set at $1,500 surety with ten percent cash allowed – he posted $150 and was released.

Around 10:52 a.m. on Saturday, July 18, Greene County Sheriff’s Deputy Alan Jackson responded to a call that Strauser’s pigs were running at large. He located the pigs and went to Strauser’s residence to tell him to get the pigs off the road and put up. When he knocked on the door, a woman answered. The deputy recognized her. Deputy Jackson said there was an active protective order against Strauser that was served to Strauser in early May. The woman who answered Strauser’s door was the protected person. Deputy Jackson later said Strauser was violating the protective order, but the woman did get the pigs off the road.

Then two days later, GCSD Deputy James Carpenter responded to Strauser’s residence around 1:37 p.m. on Monday, July 20, after a caller said Strauser’s pigs were loose in their front yard. Deputy Carpenter told Strauser to get his pigs off the neighbor’s property and get them secured and Strauser allegedly agreed to do that.

About two hours later, at 3:05 p.m. that Monday, GCSD Deputy Alan Jackson responded again after a caller said the pigs had damaged their property. Deputy Jackson reported he checked out damage to three separate properties on East Hollars Road and said he saw seven pigs roaming free, uprooting topsoil with their snouts as they walked along soft spots in a yard.

A criminal case was filed against Strauser for the above incidents and in this case, he has been charged with:

• Invasion of privacy in violation of a protective order, a Class A misdemeanor, and

• Animals running at large, a Class B misdemeanor.

A warrant was issued – this explains one of the arrests.

Less than a week after Deputy Jackson responded on July 20, the sheriff’s department dispatched Deputy James Carpenter again, around 10:12 on Sunday, July 26 – Strauser’s pigs were loose again.

When Deputy Carpenter got there and saw a couple of neighbors standing at the end of their driveway, he also saw pigs on both sides of the road in the ditches. He said he’d tell Strauser to get them put up.

When he got to Strauser’s place, the protected woman’s car was parked in the driveway and when Strauser answered the door, the deputy said he detected a strong odor of marijuana. The deputy said he told Strauser he needed to go get his pigs. He also told Strauser he’d wait on him.

Deputy Carpenter reported that a records check by dispatch showed the protective order was still valid and Strauser and the protected woman who was there again could not show any paperwork to indicate it had been dropped. Strauser was then taken into custody for violation of the protective order.

Deputy Carpenter asked Strauser for consent to search the residence but Strauser did not consent. Deputy Carpenter requested assistance from Indiana State Police and he requested approval for a search warrant.

With the warrant in hand and Indiana State Police Troopers Eric Nash and Ryan White on scene to assist, the warrant was executed.

Deputy Carpenter reported officers found glass smoking devices, a crystal substance that field-tested positive as methamphetamine, plant material that field-tested positive as marijuana, pills (not identified), several cell phones, some cash, grow lights and ballasts for grow lights, other equipment, chemicals and testers commonly used with drugs or growing marijuana, and several buckets with green plants growing – a couple in a bedroom closet, six in the kitchen and 10 on the back porch.

In this case, Strauser has been charged with:

• Possession of methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony,

• Maintaining a common nuisance, a Level 6 felony,

• Possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor,

• Invasion of privacy in violation of a protective order, a Class A misdemeanor,

• Animals running at large, a Class B misdemeanor, and

• Possession of paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor.