Monroe County authorities are asking the public for help finding a 32-year-old Bloomington man wanted on a stack of felony and misdemeanor warrants, ranging from methamphetamine possession to theft and obstruction of justice. Austin Shane Dennison stands 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighs about 185 pounds, and has brown hair and blue eyes, according to the notice.
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office published the alert as part of its weekly “Wanted Wednesday” social media campaign, a recurring effort described by the agency on Monroe County Sheriff's Office on Facebook. Dennison faces a lengthy list of charges spanning both felony and misdemeanor levels, including two counts of theft, resisting law enforcement, criminal trespass, three counts of methamphetamine possession, paraphernalia possession, two counts of possession of a narcotic drug, and felony obstruction of justice, per the same posting.
A Pattern of Run-Ins With Local Law Enforcement
This is not the first time Dennison has crossed paths with Monroe County authorities this year. Public jail records show he was previously booked into the Monroe County Jail on February 23, 2026, on an overlapping set of charges, including Level 6 felony methamphetamine possession, Class A misdemeanor criminal trespass, Class A misdemeanor theft, and Class A misdemeanor paraphernalia possession, with bond set at $2,000, according to a Facebook posting reviewed as part of historical booking records. That earlier booking suggests a continuing sequence of encounters with local law enforcement in the six months leading up to the latest warrant notice.
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office is asking anyone with information on Dennison's whereabouts to call its tip line at (812) 349-2815. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the Monroe County Sheriff's Office website or through the department's mobile app, both of which accept anonymous submissions.
What Dennison Could Face If Convicted
Under Indiana law, the felony charges Dennison faces carry real prison exposure. A Level 6 felony conviction, the lowest felony tier in the state's system, carries a fixed prison term ranging from six months to two and a half years, with an advisory sentence of one year and fines that can reach $10,000, according to the Hayes Law Office. Indiana law classifies possession of less than 5 grams of methamphetamine without aggravating factors as a Level 6 felony, the same source notes, while higher drug weights or prior dealing offenses can push charges even further up the felony ladder.
Theft charges follow a similar sliding scale. Under Indiana Code, theft is a Class A misdemeanor when the property value is under $750, but it becomes a Level 6 felony if the value falls between $750 and $50,000 or if the defendant has a prior theft conviction, the Hayes Law Office explains. That statutory structure appears to account for why Dennison faces theft allegations at both the misdemeanor and felony level in the current warrant notice.
The misdemeanor charges carry their own penalties. A Class A misdemeanor, the most severe misdemeanor classification under Indiana law, carries a maximum penalty of up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $5,000, according to Banks & Brower. Separately, possession of drug paraphernalia is typically charged as a lower-level Class C misdemeanor in Indiana, but the charge escalates to a Class A misdemeanor when the individual has a prior drug-related conviction, per Keating Legal.
Judges Have Discretion Even on Felony Counts
Indiana law also gives judges some flexibility that could matter if Dennison is caught and convicted. Under Indiana Code § 35-50-2-7, courts have the statutory authority known as Alternative Misdemeanor Sentencing, which allows certain non-violent Level 6 felony convictions to be entered as Class A misdemeanors at judgment, according to the Hayes Law Office. That provision gives trial courts room to reduce the felony record of eligible low-level offenders, though whether it would apply in Dennison's case remains unknown pending any arrest or court proceedings.
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office is headquartered at 301 North College Avenue in Bloomington and is led by elected Sheriff Ruben Marté, who oversees county law enforcement operations, jail facilities, and the agency's public warrant postings. Earlier this year, Marté drew wider attention for a separate legal fight with Indiana state officials over local compliance with federal ICE detainer requests, a dispute centered on Fourth Amendment protections that ended with a narrow preliminary injunction issued in Monroe Circuit Court on June 30, 2026, as reported by the Indiana Daily Student.
The “Wanted Wednesday” format has become a routine tool for the sheriff's office to crowd-source tips from area residents, as Hoodline has previously reported in cases involving other wanted Bloomington-area suspects. As with those earlier notices, all charges against Dennison remain pending accusations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until a court determines otherwise.
