McCordsville woman arrested for violating parole in Marion County; new local charges added

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Gwendolen R. Fenton

HANCOCK COUNTY — A McCordsville woman serving an executed sentence on home detention out of Marion County is now in the local county jail facing new felony charges.

Gwendolen R. Fenton, 42, 5500 block of West Woodhaven Drive, was arrested Saturday, Sept. 3 and has been charged with a Level 4 felony count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, a Level 6 felony count of escape where the defendant violates a home detention order or removes an electronic monitoring and a Class B Misdemeanor count of possession of marijuana.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Fenton was sentenced on August 20 , 2021 on the charge of resisting law enforcement as a Level 5 felony and criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon as a level 5 felony. Officials with the Marion County Community Corrections reached out to the McCordsville Police Department after they received a tip there may be firearms in the home. Marion County officials told local officials they wanted to a conduct a home visit and requested local law enforcement to assist.

The report noted that Fenton was placed at Marion County Community Corrections on GPS monitoring equipment on Home Detention as part of an executed sentence for a period of five years following one year served at the Indiana Department of Corrections.

Local officials and an officer from Marion County visited the home on Woodhaven Drive around 11:30 a.m. Saturday morning. Officials noted when they went inside they immediately noticed the smell of marijuana, the report said. Due to the odor of burnt marijuana and the tip stating there may be firearms in the residence, Fenton and another person in the home were seated in the dining area while a protective sweep was conducted of the residence, the report stated.

During the sweep, officers found marijuana roaches and ashes in the upstairs master bathroom and proceeded to get a warrant to search the rest of the home and the vehicles located in the garage, the report said. Officers asked Fenton what they were going to find upstairs and she replied, “he does have a gun upstairs and there’s marijuana upstairs,” the report stated. Fenton also told officials there was another gun at the residence, one that belonged to her son.

In addition to a bag (44.2 grams) of marijuana, officials found a Smith and Wesson .40 caliber handgun in the kitchen cabinet and a Sig Sauer SP2022 .40 caliber handgun in the top drawer of the nightstand with a loaded magazine inserted into the magazine as well, the report said. There were 11 rounds in the magazine and another round in the chamber of the handgun, the report stated. Officials also found a .40 caliber magazine in the same drawer with a magazine that had six rounds inserted and two boxes of ammunition in a closet.

Officials noted in the report that the drug and gun violations surrounding the home detention including intentionally removing an electronic monitoring device or GPS tracking device. Fenton was arrested without incident and remains in the county jail.

Fenton was slated for an initial hearing in Hancock County Circuit Court late Thursday, Sept. 8.