Suspicious vehicle along I-70 leads troopers to meth and ginseng

Monday, September 18, 2017

CLOVERDALE -- An alert Indiana State Police trooper from the Putnamville Post who noticed a pickup truck abandoned on the shoulder of westbound Interstate 70 in western Putnam County ended up arresting two Vigo County men on drug charges.

For the third time in approximately four weeks the trooper Monday evening noticed the same blue 1998 Ford Ranger abandoned on the shoulder in a two- to three-mile section of the interstate. This time it was parked near the 35-mile marker, six miles west of Cloverdale.

The first two times the trooper had checked the area, he was unable to locate anyone.

However, Monday evening was an exception. After securing assistance from another nearby trooper, the officers located two males approximately a half-mile into the wooded area, finding them smoking methamphetamine and illegally hunting ginseng.

The suspects were taken into custody without incident and incarcerated in the Putnam County Jail with assistance from Putnam County Sheriff's Department deputies.

Larry Joseph Woods, 45, and Samuel Eugene Crowther, 48, both of Terre Haute, were both preliminarily charged with possession of methamphetamine, theft, possession of ginseng without permission and possession of paraphernalia.

Troopers recovered less than three grams of methamphetamine, methamphetamine smoking devices and approximately a quart-size or slightly larger bag containing ginseng.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: