A man and woman from Leesburg were arrested on drug charges after being pulled over in Tavares for having a defaced license plate.
Julie Ann Yartz, 37, of 33627 Warren Ave., and Gillis Kimmikatta Summersett, 46, of 1015 Royal Oak Blvd., were each charged with possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. Yartz had an additional charge of introduction of contraband into a detention facility added when a glass pipe fell out of her shirt while she was being searched during booking at the Lake County Jail.
At around 11:41 p.m. Wednesday, a Tavares Police officer traveling east on U.S. Highway 441 observed an older gold Ford pickup traveling in front of him with an unreadable license plate. It appeared to have been crumpled up, causing the paint and reflective material to be removed from it. The officer conducted a traffic stop on U.S. 441 near New Hampshire Avenue, according to the police report.
Yartz did not have her license, registration and insurance, but she provided her name and date of birth. Summersett provided his name, too. The officer asked for permission to search the vehicle and Yartz spent several minutes explaining there was no reason to search it. Finally, the officer said he just needed a yes or no, but Yartz continued to say she was innocent and not give an answer. A K-9 unit was summoned, the report said.
While the officer was writing Yartz a ticket for the defaced license plate, the K-9 unit arrived and conducted a free air sniff of the vehicle, which returned a positive result for the presence of narcotics. The officer asked Yartz to step out of her vehicle and stand in front of his truck. Summersett was uncooperative and had to be removed and escorted to a patrol vehicle, according to the report.
During the search, the officer found a white throw blanket on the driver’s seat. In the folds of the blanket there was a small clear plastic bag containing a clear crystal substance. Due to the blanket’s positioning, Yartz would have been sitting on it, the report said.
On the passenger side, the officer found a tan backpack that was between Summersett’s legs. Inside the backpack was a blue zippered pouch containing numerous needles with clear residue, three clear plastic bags containing about a gram of a clear crystal substance each, a glass smoking device with burnt white residue, a small metal spoon with wood marks, and a red straw, according to the report.
The crystal substance found in the blanket and in the backpack tested positive for methamphetamine, the report said. Yartz and Summersett were arrested and taken to jail, the report said.
While booking Yartz at the jail, a female corrections officer conducted a routine search of her. Upon shaking her bra area, a glass pipe fell from her shirt. The pipe was consistent with what is used to smoke methamphetamine. Yartz had been asked before being taken to jail if she had anything concealed on her that was missed and she said she did not, according to the report.
Yartz was released Thursday on $3,000 bond. Summersett, who was already out on bond for a prior arrest, remains held on $7,000 bond. Both will appear in Lake County Court on March 8.
