A Umatilla woman who was arrested with narcotics in her bag later admitted to having more drugs hidden in her pants while at jail.
An officer observed a gray pickup truck, the passenger in which was later identified as 42-year-old Michelle Leigh Wheat, pulling a trailer headed north on U.S. Highway 27/441 at around 8:43 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, according to an arrest report from the Fruitland Park Police Department. As the vehicle passed the officer, he noticed the male driver leaning forward in his seat and could clearly tell he was not wearing a seatbelt.
The officer maneuvered behind the vehicle, at which point he saw landscaping debris flying off the trailer and onto the road. He also noticed the trailer’s license plate was obscured due to the large amount of landscaping debris. He subsequently initiated a traffic stop at the corner of U.S. Highway 27/441 and Picciola Cutoff Road, after which he noted the pickup truck did not have a license plate attached to it, the report said.
The officer approached the driver who admitted he did not have a registration for the pickup truck and was only driving it because his other truck recently broke down. He also stated he did not have insurance on the vehicle. He could not provide any documentation for the vehicle, saying the truck title was stolen when his house was broken into recently, the report said.
The officer could not see the vehicle’s VIN on the dashboard, and the decal that once had the VIN on it was faded and unreadable. He asked the driver to get out of the vehicle so he could safely attempt to find the VIN, the report said.
Wheat was then asked if she was in possession of anything illegal, and she initially stated no. She ultimately pulled out a glass pipe used to smoke marijuana from the center console. The officer observed what looked like burnt marijuana residue in the pipe. Wheat also admitted she did not have a medical marijuana card, the report said.
At that point, the officer established probable cause to search the vehicle’s interior. He subsequently found an orange plastic container near the driver’s seat. Inside were several very small pieces of suspected methamphetamine. Another officer discovered two glass pipes used to smoke methamphetamine inside of Wheat’s bag. Both pipes contained burnt residue, the report said.
The driver was also searched at this time, but the officers found nothing illegal. He was separated from Wheat, and she was asked where the methamphetamine was. She stated it was inside a small black bag that was inside another bag accompanied by marijuana and an “Adderall,” the report said.
This information was passed to the other officer who proceeded to find a bag of suspected methamphetamine, a bag of suspected marijuana and a single tablet of medication that was not in a prescription container. Wheat was placed in handcuffs as a result, the report said.
A female officer with the Leesburg Police Department responded to the scene and conducted a search of Wheat’s person, but no more illegal items were found. Wheat was still asked if she had anything illegal hidden on or inside her person, to which she advised she did not. She maintained her statement even when informed she would be charged with a felony if she brought contraband into jail, the report said.
After being read her rights, Wheat advised that “not all” of the narcotics found in her bag belonged to her. She explained that one of the methamphetamine pipes belonged to the driver and that he handed it to her just before being pulled over. She mistakenly put it in her bag, the report said.
However, Wheat claimed possession of the suspected methamphetamine, marijuana and “Adderall.” She advised that she bought the methamphetamine and the “Adderall” in the “Big Scrub” area of Umatilla, the report said.
The officer later conducted a field test of the suspected methamphetamine, which yielded a positive result for such. Using a pill identification database, he was able to positively identify the “Adderall” tablet as amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, which is a schedule 2 controlled substance, the report said.
Based on the totality of the investigation, the officer determined Wheat was intentionally and unlawfully in possession of multiple drugs and paraphernalia. She was later asked at Lake County Jail if she had concealed anything on or inside of her person that would be illegal, to which she stated, “I have something in there,” and motioned to her genital area. She stated that she had a bag of methamphetamine in her pants, the report said.
The officer notified jail staff of the dilemma, and she was escorted to an appropriate area. The officer was given another bag of suspected methamphetamine a short time later, the report said.
Wheat was charged with possession of methamphetamine, amphetamine and drug paraphernalia. She was released from Lake County Jail after posting $6,000 bond.