Tabatha Marie Keplinger

WARSAW — A local woman was arrested for possession of meth during a traffic stop.

Tabatha Marie Keplinger, 26, 3699 North CR 175E 186, Warsaw, has been charged with a level 6 felony possession of meth and a class C misdemeanor possession of paraphernalia.

According to an affidavit of probable cause, on June 6, Warsaw Police Officer Gordon Allen observed a silver car change lanes without using a turn signal.

Allen conducted a traffic stop and identified the passenger of the vehicle as Keplinger. Allen recognized Keplinger’s name as being on the pseudoephedrine purchasing log earlier in the evening and that she had been a suspect in the manufacturing of meth.

Allen received consent from the driver to search the vehicle and found Keplinger’s purse and obtained permission from her to search it. Inside the purse Allen found a piece of cut straw he recognized as paraphernalia for the consumption of meth. He also found two plastic containers. The straw and containers were field-tested and were positive for meth.

Keplinger admitted to Allen she had used heroin four days ago and had used the cut straw earlier in the day to “snort” pills. She told Allen she had a narcotics dependency and stated she had ingested all 96 of the pseudoephedrine pills she had purchased that day.

Keplinger removed a cut straw from her bra and gave it to Allen, who then searched Keplinger and found a pseudoepherine box in her back pocket with an empty blister pack.

The cut straw from Keplinger’s bra tested positive for meth.

Keplinger was held in the Kosciusko County Jail with a bond of $5,250 surety and cash.