Jasper man arrested for manufacturing meth next to preschool

Zechariah M. Stevens was arrested by the Dubois County Sheriff’s Department on Wednesday for manufacturing meth within 1000 feet of a preschool in Jasper.

Officer John Anderson with the sheriff’s department was reviewing the pseudoephedrine logs and determined the 27-year-old Stevens had made several purchases of products containing the ingredient. Anderson contacted the Jasper Police Department and went to Stevens’ residence at 311  E. W. Ninth Street to speak with him.

During the interview, Stevens admitted to trading boxes of over-the-counter medications containing Sudafedrin for meth and to possessing paraphernalia. The officers observed other items in the house that led them to suspect Stevens was also manufacturing. They obtained a search warrant and found containers and tubes as well as other precursors used in the manufacturing of meth in the home.

The Indiana State Police Clandestine Lab team was contacted to process the scene.

Stevens was booked into the Dubois County Security Center for the following charges: Manufacturing Meth (Class A felony for being within 1000 feet of a preschool), Possession of Precursors with Intentions to Distribute (Class C felony for being within 100o feet of a preschool), Maintaining a Common Nuisance (Class D felony), and Possession of Paraphernalia (a misdemeanor).

Th charges against Stevens were elevated due to the proximity of his residence with the Trinity Tree House Preschool on West Eighth Street.

The Jasper Police Department and Indiana State Police assisted with the investigation.