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Parke County drug bust has Putnam County ties
ROCKVILLE -- A Putnam County man is among three people arrested Wednesday in a joint investigation of the Parke, Putnam and Clay county sheriffs' departments.
Authorities seized marijuana plants with a combined potential value of nearly a half-million dollars.
Search warrants were executed at two Parke County properties, one Putnam County property and one Clay County property, resulting in the arrests of Tracey W. Burk, 43, Rockville; Stephen D. Burk, 66, Reelsville; and Kristie L. Walker, 40, Rockville.
Putnam County Deputy Doug Nally and Detective Virgil Lanning assisted in executing one of the Parke County search warrants and as well as the warrant executed at Stephen Burk's Reelsville residence.
"We've been assisting them (with the investigation) for about a month," Nally told the Banner Graphic.
The first warrant was served at 4242 E. School Rd., Rosedale, and revealed an elaborate indoor marijuana growing operation in the unoccupied residence.
Police found 469 marijuana plants growing throughout both floors of the house. Each of these plants has a potential value of $1,000 when fully grown.
A second warrant was served at 7004 S. CR 620 East, Rockville (in Mansfield), the residence of Tracey Burk and Walker.
Both subjects, as well as Tracey's father Stephen, were arrested and approximately 8 ounces of marijuana was seized.
The seven-month-old child of Tracey Burk and Walker was also taken from the house by the Parke County Department of Child Services.
A third search warrant was executed by Putnam County Sheriff's deputies at Stephen Burk's home at 7316 S. CR 625 W. Reelsville.
"We retrieved some documents from the house. That was the extent of the search warrant here," Nally said.
The Clay County Sheriff's Department also obtained and executed a search warrant at a property in Brazil in relationship to the investigation.
Tracey and Stephen Burk face identical sets of charges in connection with the indoor marijuana growing operation. Each man is charged with dealing in marijuana over 10 pounds, a Class C felony; possession of marijuana, a Class D felony; and maintaining a common nuisance, a Class D felony.
Walker faces two Class D felony charges: possession of marijuana over 30 grams and maintaining a common nuisance.
All three individuals have criminal histories in several nearby counties.
Tracey Burk served seven years with the Indiana Department of Correction for a Clay County conviction of operating while intoxicated resulting in death. The accident resulted in the death of 57-year-old Jerry Barret of Centerpoint. Burk and two passengers were also injured.
He was released from prison in February 2012.
Tracey Burk's criminal history also involves several convictions and arrests in Clay, Putnam and Hendricks counties for operating while intoxicated, auto theft, receiving stolen property, battery and a number of drug and firearms charges.
Stephen Burk pled guilty to 2008 Clay County charges of misdemeanor operating while intoxicated and misdemeanor criminal recklessness. Two felony charges were dropped in the case, but Burk later violated his probation.
Kristie Walker was convicted of possession of marijuana in Morgan County in 2002 and again in Clay County in 2006.