U.S. Attorney, ATF, state and local law enforcement partners announce results of Operation Summit City Sweep (DOJ)

FORT WAYNE - Adam Mildred, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana (USAO-NDIN), and Robert Cekada, the Director of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), were joined by other federal, state, and local law enforcement officials to announce the results of Operation Summit City Sweep, a coordinated, six-week joint law enforcement surge targeting violent crime, illegal firearms, and drug trafficking which resulted in the arrest of the area's most serious offenders and the seizure of substantial quantities of weapons, drugs, and cash.

The initiative, dubbed Operation Summit City Sweep, was built on the foundation of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. Led by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Indiana, the operation successfully deployed intelligence-led policing strategies to identify, locate, and apprehend high-value targets driving violent crime in the community.

This major public safety surge brought together a powerful coalition of law enforcement partners, including the US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Indiana, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Marshals Service, the Indiana State Police, the Fort Wayne Police Department, the Allen County Police Department, the New Haven Police Department, and the Allen County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. The Indiana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) provided funding support.

"Fort Wayne is my hometown and I am thankful for the state, local, and federal partnerships that are committed to making it safer," said Adam Mildred, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana. "Operation Summit City Sweep is an ATF-led, Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC)-driven initiative, working hand-in-hand with the Allen County Prosecutor, to address the immediate causes of violence in our communities, and to forge strong alliances to combat crime, and make our communities safer. By combining federal intelligence assets with ground-level local expertise, we are sending a clear message that violent crime will not be tolerated in northern Indiana."

"This operation demonstrates the strength of our law enforcement partnerships and our shared commitment to combating violent crime in our communities. By using Crime Gun Intelligence to target both those who commit violent crimes with firearms and those who illegally supply them, we're taking a comprehensive approach to disrupting violent crime." - ATF Chicago Field Division Special Agent in Charge Christopher Amon.

The success of Operation Summit City Sweep highlights the critical role of Task Force Officers (TFOs). TFOs are state troopers, local police officers and sheriff's deputies sworn in with federal authority who served as the operational fulcrum of this initiative. TFOs seamlessly connected local community intelligence from Fort Wayne, New Haven, and Allen County with expansive national law enforcement capabilities. They allowed local agencies to instantly tap into specialized federal units, advanced ballistics forensics, and federal strategic funding. Their localized knowledge ensured that federal intelligence was directed precisely at the most chronic, serious repeat offenders causing the most harm in northern Indiana.

"Drug trafficking and violent crime often go hand in hand, and dismantling the criminal networks responsible requires a united law enforcement response," said Todd C. Smith, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Chicago Field Division. "Operation Summit City Sweep demonstrates the strength of our partnerships with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and prosecutorial partners. Together, we are committed to disrupting drug trafficking, holding violent offenders accountable and making Fort Wayne safer."

"Operation Summit City Sweep is a testament to the strength of our partnership with the ATF. By combining our resources and intelligence, we are making a direct impact on community safety-taking illegal firearms and dangerous narcotics off our streets while holding repeat offenders with multiple felony convictions accountable. When federal agencies work shoulder-to-shoulder, there is nowhere for violent criminals to hide," said James J. Barnes, U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Indiana.

Operation Summit City Sweep was a collaborative effort among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to investigate, apprehend, and prosecute 27 defendants accused of firearms and drug trafficking-related crimes. During the intensive six-week period, the unified task force executed targeted arrest warrants, high-risk search warrants, and strategic street-level operations across the region. Total results from the surge include the seizure of 105 firearms, with 29 NIBIN-linked shootings, approximately 18 kilograms of cocaine, 535 grams of fentanyl, 83 grams of methamphetamine, four vehicles and approximately $250,000 in U.S. currency. The cases prosecuted as a result of this operation will be handled by the Allen County Prosecuting Attorney's Office or the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Indiana, as their partnership seeks the most robust response to violent crime.

"Our community is best served when government agencies work collaboratively toward the shared goal of keeping our neighborhoods safe. We are grateful for the opportunity to work alongside our partners in this effort and to play a role in ensuring that individuals are held accountable for their actions," said Allen County Prosecutor-Elect Tesa Helge.

"Partnerships are the foundation of effective law enforcement. The Indiana State Police works diligently alongside our federal, state, and local partners to identify and apprehend violent offenders who threaten our communities. Through our strong partnership with the ATF, Fort Wayne Police Department, Allen County Sheriff's Department, and New Haven Police Department, Operation Summit City Sweep demonstrated what can be accomplished when agencies work together with a common mission. By removing illegal firearms, dangerous drugs, and repeat offenders from our streets, we are making our communities safer and ensuring that those with multiple felony convictions are held accountable for their actions." - Captain Chad Larsh, Indiana State Police Area II.

Fort Wayne's Chief of Police, P.J. Smith, praised the ATF's efforts, saying Operation Summit City Sweep and ongoing partnerships with the ATF help keep Fort Wayne safe. The FWPD not only partnered for the sweep but also works closely every day with the Fort Wayne ATF Office, targeting illegal guns and linking criminals to those guns through intelligence-led policing. "It takes law enforcement agencies banding together against violent criminals, using every technology and means available to ensure the safety of our community," Smith said. "Our partnership with the ATF continues to prove valuable in addressing violent crime and keeping our neighborhoods safe."

"Operation Summit City Sweep is a great example of what can be accomplished when law enforcement agencies work together toward a common goal," said Sheriff Troy Hershberger. By sharing resources and information, we can hold repeat offenders accountable, get illegal guns and drugs off our streets, and make our communities safer."

"The City of New Haven Police Department was proud to work alongside our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners in Operation Summit City Sweep," said Chief James Krueger. Collaborative efforts like this demonstrate the shared commitment to working together to protect our communities and enhance public safety.

Operation Summit City Sweep demonstrates how safer communities are achieved through the strong partnerships formed in a whole-of-government approach to public safety.

As a result of the investigations carried out by law enforcement, USAO-NDIN secured 4 federal grand jury indictments and two criminal complaints, addressing 7 federal defendants. The collaboration yielded a total of 27 defendants. Some of the defendants charged as part of Operation Summit City Sweep are:

Blayne Neal - Charged in 2 count Indictment with firearms trafficking on September 28, 2026 and October 1, 2026. Neal had his initial appearance in court on November 6, 2026 and has a detention hearing set for November 10, 2026 before Magistrate Judge Andrew Teel.

Chance Wood - Charted in 8 count Indictment with 4 counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and 4 counts of trafficking in firearms between September 28, 2026 and October 22, 2026. Wood has a 2020 felony conviction for Intimidation, a 2025 conviction for Unlawful Carrying of a Handgun with a prior felony conviction, and a 2025 conviction for Possession of Cocaine. Wood had his initial appearance in court on November 6, 2026 and has a detention hearing set for November 10, 2026 before Magistrate Judge Andrew Teel.

James Schrock - Charged in a 2 count Indictment with being a felon in possession of a firearm and making false statement in connection with the acquisition of a firearm from on or about September 16, 2026 through September 22, 2026. Schrock appeared for an initial appearance before Magistrate Judge Andrew Teel on November 6, 2026 and is scheduled for a detention hearing on November 10, 2026.

Anastacia Abercrombie - Criminal complaint filed alleging that Abercrombie made false statements in connection with the acquisition of a firearm between June 19, 2026 and June 5, 2026. Case will be unsealed at the request of ATF.

Stephyn Colter - Criminal complaint filed charging felon in possession of firearm on or about October 6, 2026 in Grant County, Indiana. Case will be unsealed at the request of ATF.

Anthony Colen and Samuel Luckett - 2 count Indictment charges Colen and Luckett in Count 1 with stealing firearms from an FFL on or about September 15, 2026. Colen is charged alone in Count 2 with receipt of a firearm while under Indictment for a felony - in this case felony Resisting Law Enforcement. Luckett has been arrested and appeared before Magistrate Judge Andrew Teel on November 6, 2026 for his initial hearing. He has a detention hearing scheduled before the Magistrate Judge on November 10, 2026.

An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.