A 63-year-old Lyons man found himself behind bars on Jan. 10 following a Sept. 15, 2022 incident in which he allegedly harvested ginseng from property he did not have permission to hunt on. 

According to a probable cause affidavit written by Indiana Conservation Officer Dustin Cary, he received a call at approximately 2:28 p.m. regarding an individual – later identified as Steven Earl Love – hunting ginseng without landowner consent in the area of County Road 1100 West and County Road 50 South. Cary spoke with property owners who denied giving Love permission to access their property. 

One property owner, according to Cary’s probable cause, said Love identified himself as Michael Myers; however, Cary was unable to locate anyone by that name in the online ginseng records. He did find a truck parked outside the woods. The license plate expired in 2021 and returned to love. Inside the truck, Cary reported seeing ginseng tops in the floorboard. 

Cary was able to locate Love in the online ginseng records from 2020 and 2021. 

At approximately 6:17 p.m., Cary observed Love exiting the woods, between two properties he did not have permission to be on. Cary wrote in the probable cause that Love was carrying a digging tool and a pack. When asked if he had found much ginseng, Love reportedly told Cary he had done well. Love showed Cary a map of where he harvested the ginseng, which was property he didn’t have permission to hunt from. The property he claimed he had permission to hunt from was not accessible from where he exited the woods, according to the probable cause affidavit. 

Love was arrested by Linton Police Department Officer Cayden Walker on Jan. 10 and transported to Greene County Jail where his bond was set at $1,000 surety with 10 percent allowed.