Business Owner Arrested For Meth Possession
The owner of a carpet store in Warsaw was arrested early Friday morning in Winona Lake and was allegedly found in possession of methamphetamine. Additionally, Helser Carpet is in trouble with the state of Indiana for failure to pay business taxes.
At about 2:23 a.m. Friday, Seth Helser, 38, of Warsaw, was stopped for speeding, unsafe lane movement and suspicion of texting while driving. According to a police report, Helser was observed by Winona Lake Police Officer Mike Foster traveling west on U.S. 30 from CR 250 East at a high rate of speed. He was also observed to be allegedly texting from his phone while driving and failed to signal a lane change.
After initiating a traffic stop, Officer Foster noticed Helser “messing around in the rear seat and between the console.” After talking to Helser, who acted “nervous and shaky,” the officer called for a second officer to make the scene.
Initially, Helser told Officer Foster there was nothing illegal in the car and gave Warsaw Police Officer Phil Reed and his K9, Dax, permission to search the vehicle. The officers noticed Helser growing more nervous before he finally told them there may be a marijuana pipe in the vehicle. He said he had confiscated the pipe from his son “a short time ago and did not remember if he removed it.”
K9 Dax indicated the presence of drugs inside the vehicle and a more thorough search found a blue rag that had been stuffed between the seat and center console. Inside the rag, Officer Reed found a cut plastic straw and white residue inside a partial clear plastic bag containing 1.2 grams of what positively field tested for methamphetamine. No marijuana pipe was ever located.
According to the police report, Helser admitted to purchasing and possessing methamphetamine for personal use. He was arrested and charged with possession of the drug and operating while intoxicated.
Helser is the owner of Helser Carpet, 3668 U.S. 30, Warsaw. On Saturday, a sign was found on the front door of the business noting the Indiana Department of Revenue deems the business delinquent in taxes and is allegedly operating under a Class A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment and/or fines.
While the state’s website does not list Helser Carpet under tax delinquent businesses, several local filings against the business have been made in local courts. More than a dozen tax warrants totaling tens of thousands of dollars have been filed against the business since May 15, 2010, and as recently as Friday. A tax warrant gives the sheriff or the collection agency assigned by the state the leeway under Indiana law to garnish wages, levy bank accounts or even hold an auction to sell off property to satisfy the tax debt.
A second sign on the door of Helser Carpet noted the business would re-open Monday, but yesterday another sign was placed over the state Department of Revenue sign noting the business would open on Wednesday.