An Ocklawaha woman who was arrested with three different drugs was caught trying to bury some of it in the dirt during a traffic stop.
An officer observed a black Honda Element, the passenger of which was later identified as 26-year-old Dakota Marie Knighten, traveling northbound on U.S. Highway 27/441 near the intersection with Register Road around 9:49 p.m. Sunday, according to an arrest report from the Fruitland Park Police Department.
The officer watched the Honda begin to speed up, passing the flow of traffic. He used radar to confirm its speed to be 57 mph in a 50-mph zone. In addition, the tag light appeared to be out as the tag was not visible from less than 50 feet away, and it appeared the driver was not wearing a seatbelt, the report said.
This led the officer to conduct a traffic stop. As he got out of his patrol vehicle to meet the Honda’s occupants, it began reversing. The vehicle came within inches of striking the officer’s push bumper, the report said.
The officer quickly got back into his vehicle and put it in reverse. The Honda sharply turned toward the patrol vehicle, leading the officer to reverse faster to avoid a collision. Eventually, the Honda moved forward slightly and came to a halt, the report said.
The officer approached the vehicle again to meet the male driver who was asked to remove the keys from the ignition and provide an explanation for nearly striking the patrol vehicle. He claimed to be having vehicle difficulties. Knighten, the rear driver’s side passenger, simultaneously stated they were arguing, causing the driver to lose focus, the report said.
Both occupants seemed visibly nervous as seen by their shaky hands, rapid speech and inconsistent stories. In addition, the officer observed the driver’s pupils to be constricted, which is a common trait of recent narcotics use. The driver admitted to smoking “ice” earlier, a term the officer was familiar with as a reference to methamphetamine, the report said.
Therefore, the officer asked if there were any drugs or drug paraphernalia within the vehicle, to which the driver said there was not. The officer also asked for consent to search the vehicle, but the driver denied him, the report said.
The report noted the driver and Knighten were the only occupants of the vehicle but left the front passenger seat empty. The officer asked Knighten why she was seated in the back when the front was open, to which she advised it was because of their verbal disagreement, the report said.
A K-9 unit was already on scene, so a free-air sniff around the outside of the vehicle was conducted at the officer’s request. The K-9 positively alerted to the odor of narcotics from within the vehicle, the report said.
A probable cause search of the vehicle was conducted. On the rear floorboard directly where Knighten was previously seated, the officer found a purse containing feminine items like makeup and hair clips. He also found a small black zipper pouch with the initials “DMK” hand-drawn on it, the report said.
Inside the pouch, the officer located a small plastic baggie containing a crystal-like substance that was later weighed at 0.49 grams and tested positive for methamphetamine. He found a baggie with a white-powdery residue and a cut straw containing more of the same, the report said.
The officer also located a razor blade with a white, powdery residue in the side pocket of the purse. Also in the purse was a small jewelry box containing several empty baggies with powdery residue, the report said.
Knighten was detained at that point. The officer advised her of the additional felony charge what would result from introducing contraband into a correctional facility if she was to bring additional narcotics or paraphernalia into the jail. She then admitted to having something in her bra, the report said.
The officer subsequently located a clear plastic baggie containing a light green powder. This weighed about 0.39 grams and tested presumptive positive for xylazine, commonly known as “tranq,” the report said.
An officer with the Lady Lake Police Department advised that while the FPPD officer was searching the Honda, he saw Knighten make furtive movements while seated on the ground, rubbing the driver’s back and messing with the dirt. Once the pair stood up, he found a plastic baggie containing a white, powdery substance and a piece of burnt tinfoil partially buried under the dirt, the report said.
When confronted about this, both the driver and Knighten advised the items did not belong to them. However, Knighten spontaneously stated it was hers, and it was fentanyl. The substance later tested positive for fentanyl and weighed about 0.49 grams, the report said.
Knighten eventually admitted to concealing it to she would not be charged for it. This was confirmed by fresh dirt found under and on her nails, the report said.
As a result, Knighten was arrested on charges of tampering with evidence and possession of methamphetamine, fentanyl, xylazine and drug paraphernalia. She was transported to Lake County Jail and released after posting $11,000 bond.
Knighten was also arrested in Dec. 2021 following a high-tech chase by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
