Three Jackson County residents have been arrested on auto theft and marijuana charges over the course of an investigation that started in late January.

Besides the three arrests, police confiscated an estimated $300,000 in stolen vehicles and estimated $18,000 in marijuana during the investigation, according to a news release from Seymour Police Department Lt. C.J. Foster.

Two Seymour men, Johnathan P. Smith, 24, and Philip D. Auel, 29, each face five Level 5 felony charges of auto theft and Class A misdemeanor charges of dealing in marijuana. Smith was arrested Jan. 31, while Auel was arrested Feb. 16.

The third person, Karen Miller, 27, of Seymour, was arrested on Saturday for a Level 5 felony charge of conspiracy to commit auto theft, two Level 6 felony charges of neglect of a dependent and a Class A misdemeanor charge of dealing in marijuana.

The investigation started Jan. 30 when patrol officers with the Seymour Police Department received information from the Mishawaka Police Department that a stolen high-end 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee was in the area of West Tipton Street in Seymour, Foster said.

He said those officers contacted the individual, later identified as Smith, at a location at 1999 W. Tipton St.

Officers then asked Smith if they could search the property for the stolen vehicle, Foster said.

A short time later, Smith arrived at the location and produced a receipt for the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Officers showed Smith a photo of the missing vehicle, and he acknowledged the vehicle being inside and offered to push it outside, Foster said.

He said police were able to develop probable cause and obtained a Jackson Superior Court 1 search warrant to enter the location and check for the stolen vehicle as well as any other stolen vehicles.

When the search warrant was executed, officers and investigators located the 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee that had been stolen, Foster said.

They also found two other high-end vehicles, a gray 2020 Dodge Charger and an orange 2020 Dodge Charger, he said. Both Chargers had been reportedly stolen out of Indianapolis.

Foster said during the search of the location, investigators also observed numerous items that were associated with vehicle thefts.

The search was stopped, and a second search warrant was obtained for additional evidence, he said.

Some of that additional evidence included key fob programming devices, numerous key fobs, items belonging to the stolen vehicle owners, handwritten receipts and evidence that vehicle identification numbers had been manipulated, Foster said.

Investigators also observed evidence where vehicle identification numbers had been cut from one vehicle and possibly put on another vehicle, he said.

The information located at the West Tipton Street building led officers and investigators to a residence on Sam’s Circle in Seymour.

A third search warrant was obtained for that location, and during that ensuing search, a stolen white 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee, more than 6 pounds of marijuana, vehicle titles and evidence of vehicle identification numbers being manufactured was located, Foster said.

On Jan. 31, investigators obtained a fourth search warrant to return to the location at 1999 W. Tipton St.

While there the day before, investigators checked the status of a Bobcat skid steer that was at the location, but nothing had come back. The next day, investigators learned the skid steer was stolen out of Owen County. It was recovered, Foster said.

Investigators with the Indiana State Police Special Investigations Auto Theft Section and investigators with the National Insurance Crime Bureau assisted in the investigation.