Man Arrested With Gun, Drugs at Walmart

On Saturday, March 12 at 5:30 p.m. La Grange Police Officer Bret Meinardus and Sergeant Justin Koehne were dispatched to Walmart in reference to a suspicious person that had been wondering around the store for five hours, according to Police Chief David Gilbreath.

Walmart employees reported that the subject was openly carrying a firearm.

Officer Meinardus and Sergeant Koehne arrived at Walmart and located the subject inside the store. Officer Meinardus disarmed the subject, and removed the firearm from the holster along with a knife inside the subject’s boot. Meinardus then identified him as Ethan William Karish, 30 years of age from Smithville. Karish had a license to carry the firearm. The firearm was a Heckler and Koch VP9 9-millimeter.

While speaking with Karish, Sergeant Koehne and Officer Meinardus observed a clear glass vial containing a white powdery substance stuck behind Karish’s belt buckle. Sergeant Koehne removed the vial and did a preliminary test of the powder inside the vial and the powder tested positive for methamphetamines.

Officer Meinardus arrested Karish, for possession of a controlled substance and unlawfully carrying a weapon. A person that has a license to carry can be filed on for unlawfully carrying a weapon when they are arrested for a charge above a class c misdemeanor at the time they are carrying their weapon.

Karish was then transported to the Dan R. Beck Justice Center and processed into jail on the charges.