An Oxford woman stopped for speeding in Groveland was arrested on drug charges, while her passenger from Leesburg was charged with carrying a concealed weapon.
Shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday, a Groveland police officer using radar clocked a white Buick traveling south on U.S. Highway 27 at 70 mph in a 55-mph zone. The officer paced the vehicle for about a mile as it maintained its speed. The officer initiated a traffic stop near Highway 27 and County Road 561, according to the police report.
The officer spoke with the driver, who said she wasn’t paying attention to how fast she was going. The driver was Danielle Elaine Conner, 20, of 11709 County Road 207 W. in Oxford, and the passenger was 21-year-old Eric Latour Gadson, of 502 Thomas Ave. in Leesburg. While talking to the occupants of the vehicle, the officer noticed the smell of marijuana. Asked if they had medical marijuana licenses, both Conner and Gadson said they did not, the report said.
When the officer told Conner he would be searching the vehicle due to the odor of marijuana, she handed him a blue bag with a cartoon character on it. She said the bag contained marijuana and that was the only illegal substance in the vehicle, according to the report.
While searching the front passenger side of the vehicle, the officer noticed a red bag on the floorboard that contained a black Keltec 9mm firearm. The gun had a bullet in the chamber and was readily accessible to Gadson. The officer was continuing the search when Conner told him she had MDMA inside a cigarette pack inside her purse. Conner and Gadson were arrested and placed in the back of separate patrol cars, according to the report.
While searching Conner’s purse, the officer found a black and white cigarette package. Inside the cigarette pack was a baggie with a cartoon character on it with a green substance inside. Two other baggies were also found. One contained a white rock-like substance and the other contained a white substance, the report said.
Conner said she was holding the two clear baggies for a friend, and she was told the green substance was “bean” when she bought it. She described the green substance as crushed pills. The green and white substances tested positive for MDMA, while the white rock-like substance tested positive for cocaine. Conner confirmed the purse belonged to her and she knew the illegal substances were inside it, according to the report.
Gadson said he knew the gun was inside the bag found on the floorboard. He said he knew it was loaded and ready for use. Gadson also said he knew he was not supposed to be in possession of a firearm because he is on probation in Lake County. He said he did not have a concealed carry license, the report said.
Conner was charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of cocaine, possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was released from the Lake County Jail several hours later after posting $6,000 bond. Gadson was charged with carrying a concealed weapon. He’s still being held on $5,000 bond. Both will appear in Lake County Court on June 6.
