Staff Report

Ashley Nicole Lee

Benjamin Christopher Tomlinson

WARSAW — Two people were recently arrested on drug charges after allegedly stealing items from a  Dollar General store in Warsaw.

Ashley Nicole Lee, 30, 636 Moody Ave. Apartment E2, Elkhart, is charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of a syringe, and theft with a prior conviction enhancement, all level 6 felonies; theft, a class A misdemeanor; and possession of paraphernalia, a class C misdemeanor.

Benjamin Christopher Tomlinson, 37, Osceola, is charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of a syringe, and theft with a prior conviction enhancement, all level 6 felonies; theft and possession of paraphernalia with a prior conviction enhancement, both class A misdemeanors; and possession of paraphernalia, a class C misdemeanor.

On April 11, a Warsaw Police officer responded to a theft report at the Dollar General store on East Market Street. Dispatch provided Warsaw officers with information on the suspect vehicle, which was last seen traveling north on Park Avenue. Officers found the suspect vehicle on North Detroit Street and pulled the vehicle over. Lee and Tomlinson were in the vehicle and told officers they had just left a friend’s house.

According to court documents, when officers said they stopped the vehicle due to a suspected theft, Tomlinson allegedly said in an excited utterance that he and Lee were shoplifting. It was later discovered that Tomlinson had two non-extraditable, out-of-state warrants.

Tomlinson told officers that Lee was his girlfriend and that they went to Dollar General and stole “a bunch of items.” At the time, Tomlinson was wearing a clothing item that had been taken from Dollar General.

While officers spoke with Tomlinson and Lee, a Warsaw officer went to Dollar General and reviewed surveillance footage. In the footage, Tomlinson and Lee are shown selecting items and concealing them in Lee’s purse. The two left the store without paying for the merchandise.

Lee told officers that Tomlinson made her steal items from the store.

A K9 unit alerted to illegal drugs inside Lee and Tomlinson’s vehicle. Inside the vehicle, officers found drug paraphernalia, a bag containing methamphetamine, a syringe, and several items of merchandise with tags from Dollar General.

During the investigation, both Tomlinson and Lee admitted to using methamphetamine.

Tomlinson was previously convicted of two counts of theft in Whitley County in October 2018. He also has a prior judgment against him for paraphernalia possession in Elkhart County in August 2009.

Lee has a prior conviction for theft in Elkhart County in July 2012.

For this case, Lee and Tomlinson were booked in the Kosciusko County Jail on April 11, each with a $5,250 surety and cash bond.