Story reprinted from the Herald Times
A Bloomington man was arrested on a murder charge Thursday in the drug overdose that killed Spencer resident Randy Wagner earlier this year.
Paul A. Crider, 49, 1440 N. Woodburn Ave., was booked into Monroe County Jail at 2:29 p.m. on preliminary charges of murder, a Class A felony; dealing a controlled substance, a Class B felony; dealing cocaine, a Class B felony; and being a habitual criminal.
He was being held without bond, according to jail records.
Crider is accused of killing Wagner while dealing in cocaine and heroin, said Bloomington police Detective Rick Crussen. According to Indiana Criminal Code 35-42-1-1, that charge constitutes murder.
Crider maintains that he had nothing to do with the death, said Crussen.
Wagner was 49 years old when he died March 1. An autopsy determined his cause of death as intravenous drug use with an overdose of cocaine and heroin, according to a probable cause affidavit filed by Crussen Thursday.
About 5 p.m. on March 2, Monroe County sheriff's detectives discovered Wagner's body on a makeshift bed at a residence in the 7900 block of Payne Road in northern Monroe County after receiving an anonymous call regarding the man's well-being, said sheriff's Detective Brad Swain.
The caller advised that Wagner may have overdosed on heroin and would likely be found at the Payne Road residence, the probable cause affidavit said. The caller also told the emergency dispatcher that Crider had been seen driving Wagner's car, Swain said.
While detectives were investigating the scene, Crider arrived in Wagner's car and told police he was checking on his friend, according to Swain. Detectives believe Crider was aware they were at the residence, Swain said.
Crider told police he had dropped Wagner off there the night before after he had been drinking and that it was possible Wagner might have taken some valium, according to the affidavit.
Throughout the joint investigation by Crussen, Swain and sheriff's Detective Kenny Barnes, detectives took many reports from individuals stating Crider had provided the drugs for Wagner, Swain said.
Detectives recently received additional information about the case and spoke with several people who filled in some missing pieces, Barnes said.
Investigators questioned men and women who were present at a residence in the 1700 block of West Eighth Street where Wagner's overdose allegedly occurred the night of March 1, the affidavit said.
One witness told police he watched Crider mix a substance he believed to be heroin and load it into a syringe, and that Wagner began having a bad reaction soon after it was injected, the affidavit said.
"He was seen preparing it and within moments after Wagner had received the injection is when, from our information, he started having his reaction to it," Swain said. "It was fairly immediate."
Witnesses told detectives that Crider and another man tried to revive Wagner by running water over him in a bathtub, the affidavit said. According to more than one witness, Crider drove away from the residence in a pickup truck after Wagner was carried out and placed in it, the affidavit said.
Police allege that during Wagner's final moments, Crider refused to take him to a hospital for fear of being arrested, the affidavit said.
The dealing charges stem from a controlled buy police said they made from Crider and from the alleged sale of cocaine and heroin to individuals present at the residence where Wagner received the injection, according to the affidavit.
Crider was arrested Thursday at a residence in the 1900 block of South Curry Pike after the sheriff's department was contacted by Child Protective Services about a welfare check at the residence, Swain said. According to police, Crider's name was mentioned when a child contacted authorities regarding a woman who was unconscious and believed to be under the influence of drugs.
Detectives, although having just requested a warrant for Crider's arrest, chose to attempt his capture because they had concerns he knew they were looking for him.
"Essentially, we didn't want to get a chance for flight," Barnes said. "It was important that once he was located to get him detained."
Several types of drugs were confiscated from Crider during his arrest, which occurred without incident, Barnes said.
Detectives now look to the many anonymous callers who reported information about Crider for help in prosecution efforts.
"We are hopeful they will come forward now that he is in jail without bond," Swain said.
Reporter Paula Freund can be reached at 331-4370 or by e-mail at pfreund@heraldt.com.