Walmart incident ends with pair arrested, infant removed

Two people were jailed and a 2-month-old child became a ward of the state after police responded to the report of a woman with an infant acting erratically at the Jasper Walmart Wednesday morning.

Jasper police were called to the store at 6 a.m. after officers were told that, at one point, the woman had even asked Walmart employees to hold her baby while she went out to her vehicle.

Officers made contact with the 27-year-old woman, who was at the store with her 2-month-old daughter and a 54-year-old man. Police determined the man was not part of the original complaint and he was released from the scene.

According to police, the woman appeared to be under the influence of narcotics. She allegedly gave police consent to search her vehicle. Police located the vehicle which was occupied by the 54-year-old man and they searched it allegedly locating one gram of a white, crystalline powder. It field tested positive for methamphetamine.

The 54-year-old man was charged with a Level 6 felony count of possession of methamphetamine and was booked into the Dubois County Security Center.

The woman and infant were taken to the Jasper Police Department for the continued investigation. They were met by the Dubois County Department of Child Services who removed the infant from the woman’s custody due to her state of impairment.

The 27-year-old woman was charged with possession of methamphetamine and neglect of a dependent. She was booked into the Dubois County Security Center, both Level 6 felonies.