A Brownsburg man was arrested for impersonating an FBI agent and false informing. The charges stemmed from a bizarre incident that occurred in North Webster earlier this summer.
According to a probable cause affidavit from the Kosciusko County Prosecutor’s Office, on July 29 a North Webster law enforcement officer responded to a possibly drowning at Webster Lake in the area near the Dixie boat.
The officer arrived and was approached by a subject identified as Blake Ayres, 21, who told the officer someone had drowned in Webster Lake. Ayres advised he was a former water rescue diver and would dive if need be.
Ayres went on to tell the officer he heard a yell and observed a white male with medium build in his twenties, wearing a black shirt gasping, go under the water and he did not see the male come back up.
The officer observed handcuffs beside Ayres and took them into his possession.
Assistance was requested from the North Webster Fire Department, North Webster EMS, Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department, Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department dive team and conservation officers who arrived on the scene to assist in the search to locate the drowned victim. Officers and volunteers began scouring the area looking for the drowning victim. After several hours, the victim was not located and the rescue was terminated.
A Kosciusko County Sheriff’s officer spoke with Ayres, who talked about his cousin drowning in front of him several years ago. After the conversation, the officer believed Ayres had lied about seeing someone drown in Webster Lake.
The North Webster officer spoke with two lake residents that advised Ayres had identified himself to them as an FBI agent on a mission earlier in the day. Ayres allegedly told children at the lake he was on a mission to catch a suspect that was wanted in twenty five states and with their permission handcuffed them together. He told the children he was attempting to catch a suspect who had raped two minors and made them solemnly swear not to tell anyone the story. The officer obtained a photograph of the two children handcuffed together.
The responding officer obtained consent to search Ayres vehicle and found an ear piece, a two way radio and zip line. The officer spoke with Ayres who admitted that his cousin drown and he realized that the drowning he reported was a flashback of his cousin drowning. Ayres also admitted that he may have spoken too quickly and the children may have thought he said he was an FBI agent and told them he was on a journey.
The officer spoke with one of the children who advised Ayres told them that he was on vacation from the FBI after being employed with them for one and half years. Ayres then handcuffed the boy and stated he was chasing a suspect from South Bend for cocaine possession, statutory rape and theft. The boy told the officer Ayres carried the handcuffs in his back pocket.
Officers spoke to a female witness who advised that her children told her there was an FBI agent at Fisherman’s Cove with handcuffs who was cuffing children. She was skeptical and drove her golf cart down to Fisherman’s Cove and was approached by Ayres. Ayres told her that he was an FBI agent and she needed to clear the area so he could set up a perimeter because there had been a possible drowning.
Ayres is being held on a $10,250 bond.
