Teen’s death leads to charge

From Staff Reports

July 20, 2009 10:07 pm

— CELESTINE — On May 17, the state police initiated an investigation into the disappearance of Zachary “Zach” Patton, 17 of Jasper. He was last seen at about 4 a.m. on May 17 while attending a party near Celestine.
The next day, divers from the state Department of Natural Resources found the teenager’s body in a farm pond located on the property where he was last seen. An autopsy was performed later that day and according to the final autopsy report, the pathologist ruled the cause of death as respiratory arrest due to asphyxia due to drowning. A contributing factor was acute ethanol intoxication. The manner of death was listed as an accident.
As the investigation unfolded, detectives learned Tiffany Payne, 22, Huntingburg, purchased a bottle of alcohol for Patton the night of the party. The Dubois County Circuit Court issued a warrant Monday morning for the arrest of Payne for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a Class A misdemeanor.
Detective Chris Cecil with the assistance of the Huntingburg Police Department located Payne at her residence in Huntingburg on Monday and arrested her without incident. She was taken to the Dubois County Security Center.