LAPORTE COUNTY, Ind. (WSBT) — Prosecutors in LaPorte County are handling another drone-related prison smuggling case—this time at Indiana State Prison in Michigan City.

Daron Mitchell, 29, of East Chicago, and Juwan Mitchell, 25, of Chicago, have been charged with multiple offenses including dealing in a Schedule III controlled substance, trafficking with an inmate, felony dealing in marijuana, and misdemeanor counts of resisting law enforcement and possession of marijuana.

According to court documents, prison staff detected a drone flying near the facility on May 14. By tracing its flight path, officials determined it had launched from a nearby wooded area.

Officers searching the woods located the drone shortly after it had landed. Moments later, they heard movement in the brush and spotted two men dressed in black clothing running from the area, crossing nearby railroad tracks.

Police caught up with and arrested the suspects just a few blocks from the prison.

Authorities said a backpack one of the men was carrying was found near a fence in the 200 block of Columbia Street, where they had attempted to flee. Inside the bag, officers discovered over 225 grams of marijuana and more than 200 strips of buprenorphine and naloxone, prescription medications used to treat opioid withdrawal.

The backpack also contained a cell phone, a bag of cigars and cigarettes, a lighter, a vape, and additional drone equipment, including a remote control, two batteries, and a power cord, according to police.

Both men were booked into the La Porte County Jail but have since been released.

Juwan Mitchell posted a $15,000 cash bond on May 15 and is scheduled for an initial hearing on May 23, jail records confirm.

Daron Mitchell appeared in court on May 16, where a judge granted his request to reduce his bond from $15,000 to $1,500. As a condition of release, he must wear a GPS ankle monitor so authorities can track his movements.

Two earlier drone smuggling attempts also led to arrests—one on March 2 and another on April 3—both at the Westville Correctional Facility.

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