Two Lovell Residents Charged in Evansville Meth Conspiracy Case

Two Lovell residents are facing felony drug charges after authorities found nearly a half-pound of methamphetamine in their vehicle in February.

Appearing in Natrona County District Court Tuesday morning, Tabathia Bidleman pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to deliver methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, possession of methamphetamine - felony weight and misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance - marijuana.

She could face up to 47 years behind bars if convicted.

According to court documents, the events in the case began Feb. 16 at the Evansville Super 8 Motel.

A motel employee called police and reported a blue Jeep parked outside the building. The employee told police the people in the vehicle attempted to check into the motel and as they did so, a woman in the vehicle ducked down.

The officer spoke with the vehicle's front passenger who was identified as Joseph David Schultz, also of Lovell. Schultz told police he and his girlfriend — Bidleman — were looking for a hotel.

Bidleman was identified as the Jeep's driver. She told police that she was not ducking down, but instead hugging a dog in the vehicle.

The officer then saw a marijuana roach on the floor of the Jeep. Officers also located a box of insulin syringes. Several jewelry bags containing methamphetamine and heroin were located in the box with the syringes.

Schultz and Bidleman were then detained and placed in separate patrol vehicles. Continuing their search, officers found numerous syringes throughout the vehicle. A Natrona County sheriff's deputy found a backpack in the rear passenger seat containing a vacuum sealer and five separate bags of suspected methamphetamine.

Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation agents were then called to the scene.

Authorities eventually found just under seven ounces of methamphetamine contained in five bags, a syringe containing suspected methamphetamine and approximately five grams of marijuana in two separate containers.

Bidleman and Schultz were taken to the Casper office of the Wyoming Division of the Criminal Investigation. There, Schultz told agents that he would travel to Cheyenne on a near-weekly basis and buy at least an ounce of methamphetamine. He'd "front" it to acquaintances in Lovell in one-eighth ounce quantities to distribute it before he received $200 in repayment for each one-eighth of an ounce.

Because Schultze used heroin, Bidleman often drove.

Bidleman told agents that Schultz would obtain large quantities of narcotics for redistribution, including LSD, ecstasy, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana.

Schultz is charged with conspiracy to deliver methamphetamine, posession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, posession of methamphetamine-felony weight, possession of heroin-felony weight and possession of a controlled substance-marijuana.

He could face up to 54 years behind bars if convicted on all charges. He did not appear in court Tuesday.