Third person charged with drug-related offense in May 10 alleged burglary call

A third person has been charged in a May incident in which police arrested a Monticello attorney and local businesswoman charging them with drug-related offenses.

Lauren Habegger, 34, Carmel, was charged on May 27 with possession of methamphetamine and possession of a Legend drug, both Level 6 felonies; possession of a controlled substance, a Class A misdemeanor; possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor; and possession of paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor.

Her arrest stems from a May 10 incident in which Ingrid Landis, Habegger’s mother, called 911 to report a black truck with furniture in the back parked in her driveway. Landis allegedly did not know to whom the truck belonged.

White County Sheriff’s Department Sergeant Matthew White arrived on the scene and deployed his K9, Niro. White states in a probable cause affidavit that “. . . I deployed my K9 partner, K9 Niro, from my patrol vehicle and walked into the garage to post up and make K9 announcements near the door of the residence. As soon as I stepped inside of the garage, I immediately observed a strong odor that I recognized through my prior training and experience as the odor of marijuana.”

White alleges that while giving K9 announcements, a male subject, later identified as Monticello attorney Clinton Hardesty, exited the home. Police entered the home where White reports, “I noted that while I was clearing the inside of the residence, there continued to be a strong odor of marijuana throughout the entire inside of the residence. Shortly afterward, I asked Ingrid why there would be an odor of marijuana in the residence.

Ingrid advised against her penal interest that she smokes marijuana to relieve pain. Ingrid also stated that her daughter, Lauren Habegger, has been staying at the residence while Ingrid has been through cancer treatments.”

Police say that after some time, Landis would not give verbal consent to search the residence for marijuana or any other illicit contraband. A search warrant was obtained. While executing the search warrant, police located the following items inside of a bedroom that Hardesty explained, after he had been advised of his rights, “. . . was primarily the bedroom of (Habegger),” police say.

The following items were found inside of the bedroom in question according to the probable cause affidavit:

• 27 blue tablets with an imprint of GG258 on one side, identified by color, shape, and imprint of the tablets using pill identifier through drugs.com as a schedule IV-controlled substance and legend drug, sitting in plain view on top of the dresser
• 2 roaches sitting in plain view on top of the dresser
• 2 clear plastic baggies containing a brown and green leafy-like plant material, located in the top left dresser drawer
• A glass pipe with a round end containing a burnt residue that later field-tested positive for methamphetamine, located underneath the bed near Hardesty’s clothes, boots, and wallet
• A clear plastic tote containing a large piece of a fungus/ mushroom, sitting on top of a nightstand by the bed
• A glass orange and yellow pipe containing a burnt residue with the odor of marijuana, sitting inside of a gray cloth box (also sitting directly next to an Indiana Beach ID with the name and photograph of Habegger
• A silver and clear glass electronic smoking device component containing a yellow and brown liquid located inside of a gray cloth box (also sitting directly next to an Indiana Beach ID with the name and photograph of Habegger
• A round, clear plastic item with a green circle on it containing a yellow jelly-like substance located inside of a gray cloth box (also sitting directly next to an Indiana Beach ID with the name and photograph of Habegger
• A clear glass container with a red lid containing a glass pipe with burnt residue and a crystal-like substance located underneath the foot of the bed
• A glass multi-colored pipe containing a burnt residue and a metal silver pipe containing a burnt residue located in a pink and white bag inside of the bedroom closet
• A clear glass jar with a metal silver lid containing a brown and green leafy-like plant material, located inside of a leather box/piece of furniture inside the bedroom closet
• A red package of rolling papers and an orange package of rolling papers located inside a leather box/piece of furniture inside the bedroom closet.
• Also located inside a black cloth box on the shelf of the closet in the same bedroom were the following items:
• A clear plastic ZipLock baggie containing two yellow gummies and two purple gummies
• A package of cone-shaped rolling papers
• A broken glass pipe containing a burnt white residue
• A clear glass jar containing a very small amount of a brown and green leafy-like plant material
• A small brown glass container with a black lid containing a white powder-like substance

Landis, 68, was charged with possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor, and possession of paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor. She is scheduled for a final pretrial conference on July 7, at 2 p.m., in White Superior Court.

Hardesty, 29, was charged with possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor; possession of paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor; possession of methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony; possession of Psilocybin, which is a schedule 1 controlled substance, a Class A misdemeanor; and possession of Legend Drug, a Level 6 felony. He is scheduled for a pretrial conference on July 27, at 9 a.m., in White Superior Court.

Habegger had her initial hearing in White Superior Court on June 13. She is scheduled for a pretrial conference on July 27, at 9 a.m.