An Indian Harbor woman was arrested after a suspicious interaction at 7-Eleven and her nervous behavior led to the discovery of marijuana in her vehicle.
An officer observed a silver Honda sedan speeding southbound near the intersection of Dixie Avenue North and Shiloh Street at 2:05 a.m. Jan. 29, according to an arrest report from the Fruitland Park Police Department. Radar paced the vehicle at 37mph in a 30-mph zone, so a traffic stop was conducted.
Upon approaching the vehicle, the officer explained the reason for the stop to the driver, identified as 40-year-old Jennifer Raye Lindroth, and asked for her license. She instead handed over a Florida identification card and advised that she did not currently have a license. This was confirmed by Lake County dispatch, who learned her license had been suspended since Aug. 14, 2024, the report said.
A few minutes earlier, the officer observed the vehicle at 7-Eleven wherein a man got out and began walking down the road with his head down as the vehicle left the parking lot. The officer noticed Lindroth was nervous when he got closer, as seen by her continuous reaching around, shaky hands and shifty eye contact. Therefore, he asked for consent to search the vehicle, which she denied, the report said.
A K-9 unit, who arrived on scene shortly after the initiation of the stop per the officer’s request, conducted a free-air sniff around the outside of the vehicle while the officer investigated Lindroth’s driving history. The K-9 positively alerted to the odor of narcotics from within the vehicle, leading to a probable-cause search, the report said.
The officer found a new syringe at Lindroth’s feet. Inside of her purse was a sparkly purple container with a white crystalline residue. This later tested positive for methamphetamine. The officer also discovered a metal straw with residue and a small amount of a green leafy substance inside a pack of cigarettes. He later located a gallon-size bag of leafy substance behind the driver’s seat that tested positive for THC and weighed about 55 grams, the report said.
A check of Lindroth’s driving history revealed seven suspensions for failures to pay and non-judgement suspensions from Aug. through Nov. 2024. She also had two convictions for knowingly driving with a suspended license from March 2021 and April 2023, the report said.
Lindroth was arrested on charges of possession of marijuana (more than 20 grams), possession of drug paraphernalia and knowingly driving while license suspended (second or subsequent offense). The native of Germany was transported to Lake County Jail and released after posting $6,000 bond.