A Leesburg woman with a long criminal history was arrested on drug charges after being stopped for a bicycle violation in Fruitland Park.
Police observed three bicyclists, including 39-year-old Amber Lyn Hall, without rear lighting crossing U.S. Hwy., 27/441 at about 1:08 a.m. Tuesday, according to an arrest report from the Fruitland Park Police Department.
As the officer approached in his patrol car, the bicyclists looked back and moved more quickly toward the new 7-Eleven at 2058 U.S. Hwy. 27/441. He proceeded to conduct a traffic stop while Hall began searching through her backpack. The other individuals huddled closely together until one of them distanced himself from the bikes, the report said.
The officer spoke with all three bicyclists and explained the violation, to which they all advised they did not know. Based on their nervous behavior, the officer requested a K9 unit. The officer helped the trio find ways to affix lights to their bikes until the unit arrived on scene, the report said.
The K9 officer asked if any of the individuals had narcotic paraphernalia on them, and Hall admitted she had some “rigs” in her backpack. This is slang for needles used to inject illicit substances into the body. Hall then took out two small containers. She presented these to law enforcement and placed them on the hood of a patrol vehicle, the report said.
In addition, the narcotic detection K9 conducted a free-air sniff around the bicycles and backpacks and alerted to the odor of narcotics, the report said.
This prompted the officer to search the small black bag. Amidst several used needles, he found a small blue plastic baggie containing a crystal-like substance. The brown bag contained additional used needles with residue and a clear glass pipe with residue. Hall advised she forgot about the plastic bag and that the residue was methamphetamine. A test confirmed her statement to be true, the report said.
The Pennsylvania native was subsequently arrested on charges of possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. She was transported to the Lake County Jail with bond set at $3,000.
