Local Pastor Pleads Guilty To Federal Charges Related To Spice Drug Ring

There are new developments in that very strange spice drug ring that involved a host of local characters. An Irvington pastor, Robert Jaynes, Jr., has pleaded guilty in a federal court in St. Louis to producing more than 100 tons of synthetic marijuana known as spice used in a multi-million dollar drug ring. Jaynes faces up to 12 1/2 years in prison for his crime and forfeits $41,000 and 800 pounds of "silver colored" bars and coins. Jaynes' brother-in-law, Kirk Parsons, pleaded guilty to the same charges.

The two men were among 13 individuals from multiple states charged in what authorities describe as an international drug ring according to the Indianapolis Star. Jaynes founded a church in Irvington in 1998 and involved several church members in his enterprise. That included a married pair of deputy sheriffs in Hendricks County, Jason and Teresa Woods. Jaynes was also tied to Russell Taylor, the former executive director of Jared Fogle's foundation who is now jailed on his role in producing and distributing child pornographic materials.

A former Libertarian candidate for state senate and local businessman, Doug Sloan, has been accused of selling the illegal drug and laundering the proceeds through a business called Beautiful Cars. Charges against one of Sloan's partners were dropped after a Carmel man, David Neal, committed suicide while being held in a jail in Seattle, Washington. Neal had been accused of buying more than $240,000 worth of spice from Jaynes. Jason Woods is awaiting trial in Hendricks County on charges of bribery and assisting a criminal in connection with the drug ring. Woods' wife, Teresa, pleaded guilty to unrelated charges. Jason Woods is accused of using his job as a deputy to provide security for the spice-production operation in New Palestine.