Two men charged with numerous felony counts after incident in Bloomfield

Suspicious behavior led to the arrest of two men last Saturday in Bloomfield. When they appeared in court Tuesday, they were charged with numerous felonies.

Chad Allen Pemberton, 36, and Thomas Eugene Oakley, 37, were both arrested last Saturday, November 16, by Deputy Harvey Holt of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department. Records show both Pemberton and Oakley with rural Bloomington home addresses, in western Monroe County.

Chad Pemberton

Deputy Holt, the investigating officer, was dispatched around 10:42 a.m. from the sheriff’s department into Bloomfield when a call came in reporting a vehicle with a possibly intoxicated driver was going through the drive-through lane of the Dairy Queen with two men who had switched seats. They two men were later identified as Pemberton and Oakley.

While Deputy Holt was enroute, another caller offered information that the vehicle was then located at the Country Porch station and convenience store.

When Deputy Holt arrived, he located a blue Impala, with expired plates, parked in the middle of the lot near the front entrance with four individuals standing outside the car. All four said they didn’t know who was driving the car but Pemberton did say it belonged to his sister. No valid registration was provided.

Turned out, nobody had a valid license and with expired plates, the deputy informed Pemberton the car would be towed.

GCSD Deputy James Carpenter and Service Officer Bruce Porter also responded to assist on the scene.

Pemberton was wanted on a parole violation by Indiana Department of Corrections as well as a warrant issued out of Owen County on a child support issue. He was taken into custody.

Deputy Holt said Pemberton exhibited signs of impairment. The results of a portable breath test showed he had zero alcohol in his system, but he was allegedly slurring words, had pinpoint pupils and became abusive on the scene, hitting the side of the patrol vehicle and calling the deputy names.

Thomas Oakley

On the scene, Oakley said he didn’t drive and kept looking around the vehicle, moving something from the center console to the glovebox, then reaching under one of the front seats – Holt told him to step away from the car at that point.

In the vehicle search incident to towing, Deputy Holt reported finding a scale with white powder residue, a spoon with a white powder residue and a gun under a seat. The handgun was a Highpoint 45 ACP, model JHP with a loaded magazine containing four .45 caliber bullets. There was no bullet in the chamber.  

Both Pemberton and Oakley were transported to the sheriff’s department and while there, Pemberton allegedly dug into his pocket then swallowed a blue oval pill. Then he couldn’t stay awake and Deputy Holt reported Pemberton was getting worse and could not perform field sobriety testing.

Both were then transported to Greene County General Hospital where Narcan was administered to Pemberton. He was then able to wake up but when he was escorted to a rest room, he became verbally abusive and was yelling obscenities, tried to rip something off the wall, then pushed and swung at Deputy Holt. Security staff assisted in getting handcuffs back on Pemberton.

Once cleared medically, both men were booked into jail around 5:30-6 p.m. and were held without bond pending their appearances in Greene Circuit Court.

Initial hearings for both were conducted on Tuesday, November 19.

Pemberton has been charged with:

• Possession of methamphetamine, a Level 5 felony,

• Possession of methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony,

• Disorderly conduct – engaged in fighting or tumultuous conduct, a Class B misdemeanor,

• Battery against a public safety official, a Level 6 felony

• Carrying a handgun without a license on or within 500 feet of a school, a Level 5 felony,

• Maintaining a common nuisance involving legend drugs, a Level 6 felony, and

• Resisting law enforcement – knowingly or intentionally forcibly resists, a Class A misdemeanor.

Oakley has been charged with:

• Possession of methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony

• Possession of methamphetamine, a Level 5 felony,

• Carrying a handgun without a license within 500 feet of school, a Level 5 felony, and

• Maintaining a common nuisance involving legend drugs, a Level 6 felony.

In both cases, bond was set at $30,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed.

In a probable cause affidavit, Deputy Holt noted that Pemberton’s criminal record includes multiple felony arrests and convictions within the last 15 years, the most recent in Monroe County in 2018 for resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, a Level 6 felony. Other felony convictions include escape, possession of methamphetamine and dealing in methamphetamine.

Holt said Oakley’s criminal record also includes several felony convictions within the last 15 years, the most recent in Monroe County in 2017 for battery resulting in bodily injury, a Level 6 felony. Other felony convictions include two for possession of a firearm without a license.

Holt said these were not the only convictions on their record.

He also said the location in the lot of the store was less than 500 feet from a school.