At around 10:42PM on March 3rd, 2021, Officer Janzen Franklin initiated a traffic stop on a black S-10 pickup truck that was travelling south on South Main Street in Linton due to a headlight being out on the vehicle. Inside, Wendell Stewart had already poured himself some Crown Royal in his Coke cop from McDonalds, although he said he had not consumed any just yet. He also had some marijuana in his pocket, he told Officer Franklin. Sure enough, a zip-lock baggie on Stewart’s person contained four rolled burnt cigarette papers containing a burnt, plant-like material.
Upon searching the S-10, an altered Bic ink pen was found with the inside removed, so it was a straw-like, hollow cylinder. Stewart admitted that he had smoked methamphetamine from the altered pen, and he had also smoked meth from a straw found in the vehicle, too, that had been cut to a shorter length. Both had a white, crystal-like substance on them that field-tested positive for methamphetamine.
With that, Stewart was arrested and transported to the Greene County Jail. The next day, the probable cause affidavit was examined and approved by Judge Dena Martin of the Greene Superior Court, and the Prosecutor’s Office has since charged him with possession of methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony, as well as possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor, and possession of paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor.
The reader is cautioned that allegations are simply that until proven otherwise in a court of law; therefore, the person(s) shown as arrested for the charges listed above should be considered innocent until proven guilty.