BEDFORD — A Bedford woman has been arrested on a felony charge after Indiana State Police troopers executed a search warrant at her residence, discovering a wanted felon hiding under a blanket amidst a stash of methamphetamine and marijuana.
Penni Michelle Robertson, 46, of Washboard Road, faces a Level 6 Felony charge of Maintaining a Common Nuisance. According to state authorities, the residence has been a persistent hub for illegal drug activity for years.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Detective Caleb B. Garvin of the Indiana State Police Drug Enforcement Section, the incident occurred on Thursday, May 14, 2026. At approximately 2:10 p.m., a team of state detectives and troopers converged on the Washboard Road property to locate 32-year-old Joshua Turpin, who was wanted on two active felony warrants out of Monroe County.
Upon arrival, officers knocked on the door multiple times before Rebecca Baker, 29, answered. State police noted that the woman who answered the door appeared highly nervous when questioned about Turpin’s whereabouts. Officers then requested to speak with the primary tenant, Robertson, who confirmed Turpin was inside the trailer and directed authorities to a back bedroom.
Inside that bedroom, Detective Chance Humphrey and Trooper Tyler Trueblood discovered Turpin sitting on the floor under a blanket in a futile attempt to hide from law enforcement.
While taking Turpin into custody, detectives immediately noticed the overwhelming odor of burnt marijuana, alongside a glass methamphetamine pipe and a clear plastic baggie filled with a crystal substance.
Detective Garvin secured a search warrant for the residence, which was executed at approximately 3:05 p.m. A thorough search of the bedroom yielded a significant amount of contraband, including three glass smoking devices consistent with methamphetamine ingestion; two on the bed and one on a TV tray nightstand. A clear plastic bag containing a crystal substance, located on the nightstand right next to Turpin’s wallet and ID, and a clear plastic bag of marijuana and a grinder tucked inside a purse belonging to Baker, along with a metal container filled with partially burnt, hand-rolled marijuana cigarettes.
Turpin and Baker were arrested and transported to the Lawrence County Jail. The seized narcotics were logged into temporary storage at the Indiana State Police Post in Bloomington for testing.
In the affidavit, Detective Garvin, a 3-year veteran of the ISP Drug Enforcement Section and an instructor at the Indiana Covert Drug Investigation School (“Top Gun”), emphasized that this was far from the first time state police had been called to Robertson’s home.
Since 2021, state police have used a variety of tactics to monitor the property.
2021–2026 Washboard Road Property History:
- Two Prior Warrant Arrests (Methamphetamine recovered both times)
- Two Controlled Buys by Informants (1 for Heroin, 1 for Methamphetamine)
- Third warrant execution & felony common nuisance arrest
State records show that Robertson has been the primary tenant during all of these prior incidents and has a previous criminal conviction for maintaining a common nuisance at this exact Washboard Road address.
Following the May 14th raid, Robertson was booked into the Lawrence County Jail.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based on the information provided in the probable cause affidavit and does not represent a final determination of guilt or innocence.
