Lafayette man pleads guilty to five criminal charges including dealing fentanyl
Apr. 24—A Lafayette man has pleaded guilty to five criminal counts including dealing fentanyl while in possession of a handgun, according to a press release from the Cass County Prosecutor's Office.
The man announced his decision to plead guilty to all charges just minutes before his jury trial was scheduled to begin in Cass Circuit Court on Monday.
23-year-old Cameron Gonzales' charges stem from a traffic stop initiated by the Cass County Sheriff's Department on April 26, 2021, according to public documents. His vehicle was clocked at doing 88 miles per hour in a 60 zone westbound on U.S. 24 east of Logansport. An ensuing pursuit reached speeds exceeding 140 miles per hour before stop sticks were successfully deployed and the defendant's vehicle was apprehended, the release says.
Subsequent investigation revealed a large number of fentanyl pills, over 40 lbs of marijuana, $80,000 in cash and a number of firearms in the vehicle. This included a handgun with a selector switch making it capable of fully automatic fire. Other drug paraphernalia items, ammunition and extended magazines for the firearms were located throughout the car and trunk.
Gonzales is the second of the three occupants of the vehicle to plead guilty, according to the release. Passenger Ronald Wells pleaded guilty in August of 2022, and the final occupant of the fleeing vehicle, Bishop Brown, is scheduled for jury trial on August 19.
