A Jasonville woman arrested by GCSD over the weekend is facing a mixture of charges ranging from theft to criminal trespassing, and possession of a controlled substance plus driving while suspended.

Ronda Lynn Cooksey, 55, Jasonville, was arrested by Sergeant Jordan Allor of the Greene County Sheriff's Department on Saturday night, June 11.

Cooksey was the driver of a 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier that was pulled over in a traffic stop for driving left of the center line.

Around 9:17 PM last Saturday, Sergeant Allor was headed west behind the Cavalier on West State Road 48 near the intersection of County Road 1100 West when he saw the Cavalier travel left of the center line. Near the intersection of 900 North, it traveled left over the center line again and he initiated a traffic stop.

Cooksey said it wasn't her vehicle and it pulls to the left. While talking to her and a passenger, Sergeant Allor noticed bags of groceries from Walmart in the back seat and he noticed the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. When asked how much marijuana she had inside the vehicle, Cooksey allegedly said none and she agreed to a search of the vehicle.

Officer Skylar Scott of the Jasonville Police Department had arrived to assist on the scene and when the vehicle was searched, Officer Scott reported finding a hand-rolled cigarette containing green plant material inside Cooksey’s purse, a metal smoking device designed to look like a cigarette found in a cigarette package, and two pills later determined to be Tramadol Hydrochloride, which is a controlled substance, found inside her wallet. She admitted she did not have a valid prescription for the Tramadol.

During a check of her records, Sergeant Allor learned that Cooksey's driver’s license was suspended and she had a previous conviction in October of 2021 for driving while suspended. She also had a warrant out for her arrest from Lawrence County in Illinois for possession of cannabis.

When told about the warrant, Cooksey allegedly said she just got out of jail in Putnam County and they didn't say anything about a warrant. When asked why she was in jail in Putnam County, she allegedly said it was due to a “misunderstanding at Walmart.” Then she was asked if she was trespassed from Walmart and Cooksey allegedly said no one had told her she was trespassed from Walmart.

The next day when Sergeant Allor contacted an asset protection employee at the Walmart store in Linton, the employee confirmed Cooksey was trespassed from all Walmart locations in 2019 and he provided a form she had signed acknowledging she was not allowed back on Walmart property. He was also able to provide video that showed Cooksey was in the store the day before. According to Sergeant Allor, the video shows she went through a self-checkout and failed to scan a case of Sprite on the bottom of her cart and she bought an item that had a clearance sticker with the price of a dollar that had been placed over a tag with the price of $15.97.

Sergeant Allor reported Cooksey was convicted of theft in April of this year and all told, her record shows she has seven prior convictions for either conversion or theft.

After Cooksey was taken into custody on Saturday night, she was booked into the Greene County Jail at 10:44 PM. She was being held without bond pending court appearance which is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, June 14.

Cooksey is facing criminal charges of:

• Theft, defendant has a prior conviction, a Level 6 felony,

• Criminal trespassing, a Class A misdemeanor,

• Possession of a controlled substance, a Class A misdemeanor, and

• Driving while suspended – a knowing violation with a prior conviction within 10 years, a Class A misdemeanor.