Three arrested on drug-related charges

What started as a hunt for illegal ginseng harvesters ended with the arrests of three Butlerville residents on drug-related charges.

Ashley Capper, 28, Steven Bowling, 52, and Kimberly Wolfe, 49, were arrested on charges of possession of marijuana, possession of methamphetamine and possession of paraphernalia, according to a news release from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Law Enforcement. The three were booked into the jail Wednesday.

The case stemmed from a traffic stop made by a Jennings County sheriff’s deputy, who contacted conservation officer Zach Walker with information concerning the illegal harvest of ginseng.

While executing a search warrant, officers found no evidence of illegal root harvest but did locate a large amount of marijuana, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in a residence near Butlerville, police report.

Child Protective Services was contacted regarding a child living in the residence, police said.

The digging and possession season for ginseng begins today. This season is in place to protect ginseng, a natural resource, by allowing the berries and seed to maturity each year before the plant is harvested, according to the Department of Natural Resources.