Holton man indicted on federal weapons charges
Police dig up garden looking for weapons
Wanda English Burnett - Editor

A portion of the backyard of a Holton resident was dug up Saturday morning, June 12, as officers acted on a search warrant obtained through Ripley County Superior Court the day before.

Larry Alan Chezem, 53, of 167 South Marion Street, Holton, was apprehended by ATF agents on May 12, based on Federal indictments from the US District Court of Montana. According to information from the Search Warrant Affidavit, ATF Agent Tom Hudson said Chezem was to be in possession of a FN-FAL type firearm (machine gun). The Search Warrant Affidavit noted, "No weapons were located upon a search of the residence."

The affidavit reads in part, "the offenses related to Chezem in the Federal indictments were Possession of a Machine Gun, Felon in Possession of firearm, and Conspiracy to Possess Illegal firearms." The document further stated that no weapons were found upon a search of the residence.

A month after the initial search at the Holton residence of Chezem, authorities were back, this time with a backhoe digging up the garden area of his backyard where they believed weapons were hidden. According to the Search Warrant Affidavit, police were looking for "Illegally obtained or possessed firearms, including handguns, machine guns, long guns, and/or ammunition for said firearms,
and/or items of evidence related to the illegal acquisition, possession, and/or use of said firearms, stolen or otherwise illegally obtained and concealed on the property."

Officers from the Bureau of Al
cohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) were on the scene Saturday morning in Holton, but according to information filed from the Indiana State Excise Police Department in Ripley County Superior Court on June 15, no items were seized as a result of the search on Saturday.

When the US Attorney's office in Indianapolis was contacted about the situation, a spokesperson for the office noted they can neither confirm nor deny anything pertaining to an investigation if formal charges have not been filed.

In one portion of the search warrant officers say they felt the weapons could be buried at the residence of Chezem based on information they had received and what they had
"learned about the criminal history of Larry Chezem." They did not reveal what that criminal history was.

Buying the property at 167 South Marion, Holton, on land contract, the owners said Chezem has been "good to work with and hasn't had any trouble making his payments since he moved there in February of this year."

According to some Holton residents, Chezem told them that he had run for sheriff in Montana and the authorities there "had it in for him." He was reported to be seen back at his residence on Sunday evening, June 13.

WANDA ENGLISH BURNETT PHOTO

Law enforcement officials conducted a search of the garden area at the home of Larry Chezem of 167 S. Marion Street, Holton, on Saturday, June 12. They were acting on a search warrant obtained through the Ripley County Superior Court, after information was obtained that a variety of weapons including a machine gun could be buried there. No weapons were found as a result of the search.