(10-23-24) On October 23, 2024, the Wells County Sheriff’s Office continued their investigation into the robbery incident that occurred in Southern Wells County last week. A series of searches were conducted at a home in Poneto, IN. Those searches resulted in evidence of the robbery being located.

Additional investigation resulted in arrests of four people.

Those arrested are identified as:

  • David Matthew Estel Watson (age 38) of Poneto, IN,
  • Sabbathshe El Y Israel (age 31) of Poneto, IN,
  • Marcus Frank James Randall (age 18) of Bluffton, IN,
  • Miles Elwood Walker Pogue (age 18) of Bluffton, IN.


Charges include Burglary, Robbery, Criminal Confinement, Battery, and Theft. Additional charges are possible.

All arrests were based on probable cause. Probable cause is merely an accusation based on information collected during an investigation. All persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

As stated earlier, we believe this to be an isolated and targeted event. We do not believe there is any further danger to our county residents concerning this event.

Wells County Sheriff’s Detective Quinton Greer led the investigation and was assisted by the Bluffton Police Department, the Indiana State Police, and the Wells County Probation Department.

No further information will be released.