BEDFORD — A routine attempt to serve an arrest warrant led to a secondary drug investigation and a request for a Bloomington-area woman’s arrest on Wednesday, June 3, 2026.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Bedford Police Sergeant Toby Gerkin, Cindy J. Stewart, 66, of Bedford, is facing requested charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia following an afternoon raid on G Street.
The chain of events began on June 3 when a contingent of Bedford Police officers arrived at a home located in the 2100 block of G Street to serve an active arrest warrant for a man identified as Walter Root. While Major Bridges and Captain Lemke knocked on the front door, Sgt. Gerkin and Assistant Chief Dewees secured the back of the property and driveway.
Root’s mother met officers at the back door and directed them to a detached garage.
Upon approaching the garage and knocking, Sgt. Gerkin reported immediately smelling a distinct odor of marijuana emitting from the structure. After hearing movement inside, officers continued to knock until Root opened the door. Root was instructed to step outside alongside a female occupant, later identified as Cindy Stewart.
Officers then conducted a protective sweep to clear the building. Inside, Sgt. Gerkin noted a strong smell of marijuana, alongside adult pornography playing on a television and multiple sex toys left out in the open.
Root denied having any marijuana inside the building and was immediately taken into custody by Officer Brooking to be housed at the Lawrence County Jail on his original warrant for violation of probation.
While police secured the scene to apply for a search warrant for the garage, Sgt. Gerkin read Stewart her Miranda Warning. Stewart admitted to police that she had marijuana inside her purse, but maintained there were no other illegal items inside the building.
However, before the formal search warrant was executed, Captain Lemke asked Stewart if she had anything else hidden in her pockets. Stewart complied and pulled out two glass smoking devices coated with a burnt residue.
A roadside field test of the residue on the pipes yielded a positive result for methamphetamine. Stewart admitted to officers that she had used methamphetamine the previous night but denied having any additional weight of the drug on her person.
The Honorable Judge Cline of Lawrence County granted a search warrant for the structure, which officers executed at 1:08 p.m.
During the targeted sweep of the garage, officers uncovered:
- A glass jar containing a green, plant-like substance (which field-tested positive for marijuana).
- An electronic smoking device.
- A cut straw coated in a white powder residue (which field-tested positive for methamphetamine).
When re-questioned about the discovery, Stewart reiterated that she and Root had consumed methamphetamine the night before and believed they had used the entirety of their supply. Stewart was then read her Pirtle Warning, which informs a citizen of their right to counsel before consenting to a search, and consented to a search of her vehicle, though officers found no additional contraband inside.
Stewart was released from the scene on Wednesday afternoon. Sgt. Gerkin noted that all collected evidence was photographed, packaged, and logged into the Bedford Police Department evidence locker, and a copy of the warrant was left at the residence.
A formal case report has been forwarded to the Lawrence County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Bedford Police Department has officially requested that an arrest warrant be issued for Stewart. Stewart was detained on Wednesday, June 17.
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.
