HENRY COUNTY, Ind. — An Illinois woman was arrested in central Indiana last week after deputies pulled her over and discovered she was hauling 50 pounds of methamphetamine in a suitcase.
Courtney Kinard, 33, of Normal, Illinois, was driving a Jeep east on Interstate 70 at around 11 a.m. Thursday when deputies pulled her over at the 131-mile-marker in Henry County.
The Henry County Sheriff's Office said she was stopped for following too closely and speeding violations.
Deputies standing outside the vehicle were speaking with Kinard when they noticed a vacuum-sealed package with a small amount of marijuana "in plain view" in the passenger compartment, the sheriff's office said.
When deputies searched Kinard's Jeep, they found a large red suitcase that was locked. The sheriff's office said deputies used a pry tool to open the suitcase after Kinard refused to give them the combination.
Inside the suitcase were 50 vacuum-sealed packages, each one containing about a pound of crystal methamphetamine. In total, the 50 pounds of meth are worth an estimated street value of more than $200,000, the sheriff's office said.
Deputies arrested Kinard without incident. She's charged with dealing methamphetamine, a level 2 felony, and misdemeanor possession of marijuana.
The deputies who pulled her over were members of the Pro-Active Criminal Enforcement (PACE), which is a multi-jurisdiction task force consisting of deputies from Henry and Hancock counties.
