A 50-year-old Plymouth man is facing multiple felony charges after a child in his care tested positive for methamphetamine, triggering a child welfare intervention and a multi-agency law enforcement response at his home on 14th Road. Steven D. Nissley was booked into the Marshall County Jail on July 29 following an investigation that began when the Indiana Department of Child Services alerted local law enforcement to the child's positive drug test. Officers who responded to the residence say they found both methamphetamine and marijuana in Nissley's room.
According to InkFreeNews, a Marshall County Sheriff's Office detective opened the investigation after receiving a report that a child had tested positive for methamphetamine. Nissley admitted to using methamphetamine but denied using it while inside the residence, the outlet reported, and he separately denied using methamphetamine at another point during questioning. Officers reported detecting the smell of marijuana coming from inside the home, and both methamphetamine and marijuana were later found in Nissley's room, per the same account.
News Now Warsaw reported that the investigation began at approximately 11:45 a.m. on July 29 after the Indiana Department of Child Services alerted Marshall County law enforcement that a 6-year-old child in Nissley's care had tested positive for methamphetamine. Local reporting from MAX 98.3 identified the location as the 16,000 block of 14th Road in Plymouth, with the response co-led by Detective Sergeant Jonathan Bryant and Deputy Robert Williams of the Marshall County Sheriff's Department.
Charges and Custody Status
Nissley is charged with neglect of a dependent, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of marijuana, according to the seed report from the same outlet's account of the case, with the marijuana charge filed as a Class B misdemeanor and the drug charges filed as Level 6 felonies. That account differs from an earlier report by News Now Warsaw, which said Nissley was held on a $10,000 cash bond after early law enforcement affidavits evaluated the neglect of a dependent charge as a Level 5 felony rather than a Level 6. The dossier notes this discrepancy remains unresolved as formal court proceedings continue, and Hoodline could not independently confirm which felony level ultimately applies.
Indiana law generally treats neglect of a dependent as a Level 6 felony carrying 6 months to 2.5 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines, according to Keffer Hirschauer LLP, but the charge can be elevated to a Level 5 felony carrying 1 to 6 years in prison when the offense involves bodily injury or controlled substances. Possession of methamphetamine without aggravating circumstances is a Level 6 felony under Indiana law, per Avnet Law, carrying a sentencing range of 6 months to 2.5 years. Possessing less than 30 grams of marijuana as a first offense is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine, according to McNeelyLaw LLP.
Child Removed From the Home
Department of Child Services representatives agreed to meet with law enforcement to remove the child from the home, according to the seed report. Under Indiana Department of Child Services policy and state law, evidence of illegal drug activity or substance exposure in a home creates a legal presumption that a child is a Child in Need of Services, authorizing agencies to intervene and remove the child, according to the Indiana Department of Child Services.
Statewide, parental drug use remains a persistent driver of these emergency removals. An annual state child welfare report published in February found the Indiana Department of Child Services investigated 276 child deaths involving suspected maltreatment in 2024, confirming 59 fatalities caused directly by caregiver abuse or neglect, with caregiver substance abuse listed among the primary risk factors, according to 95.3 MNC. The same report found biological parents were identified as the alleged perpetrators in 81% of confirmed caregiver maltreatment cases statewide, while children aged 3 or younger made up 71% of neglect victims.
Prior Drug-Related Contact With Police
Police logs published by InkFreeNews in April 2025 show Nissley was previously cited during a traffic stop in Warsaw and arrested on pending charges of possession of marijuana, establishing a history of prior drug-related law enforcement contact more than a year before his most recent arrest. Nissley resides at an address on 14th Road in Plymouth, and the current investigation was carried out by the Marshall County Sheriff's Department.
The case comes just a day after Hoodline reported on a separate Plymouth raid that nabbed a fugitive at a meth site, underscoring the frequency with which methamphetamine cases in Marshall County have intersected with child safety concerns in recent weeks.
