A pair from Lake County landed behind bars on drug charges when an officer found them passed out with fentanyl in their possession.
An officer patrolling Marsh Memorial Park, located at 36545 Yale Retreat Rd., spotted a silver 2004 Ford with the passenger side door open around 12:40 a.m. Monday, March 2, according to an arrest report from the Eustis Police Department. Three occupants, including 37-year-old Brittany Charmane Watts of Leesburg and 47-year-old Phillip Mark Kelley of Lady Lake, were passed out inside.
As the officer got closer, he could see Watts lumped over toward the floorboard in the front passenger seat. The male passenger in the back seemed to be asleep with a blanket over him, and Kelley had his head slumped down toward his waist in the driver’s seat. The officer also noticed a used syringe with blood in Kelley’s lap, the report said.
It took several announcements for Kelley to come to, and he looked very disoriented when he did. He had constricted pupils and several puncture marks on his right arm. The marks had dried blood, consistent with the recent use of syringes, the report said.
Kelley slowly responded and had difficulty finding his driver’s license upon request. He then pulled out his wallet from his right pocket while pushing the needle under his seat at the same time. He also asked if he could get out of the vehicle to find his license since he dropped it on the floor. The report noted the officer could clearly see the license in his hand as he tried to push the syringe under the seat.
While speaking with Kelley, he claimed not to know about the syringe or to have seen any on his person. He added that he had picked up Watts and the other passenger a few hours ago. They needed a place to sleep due to being homeless, and they all came to the park to hang out, the report said.
Another officer subsequently arrived at the park and observed another syringe with dark blue residue on the floor in front of Watts. There was a black security bag between her seat and the center console, as well. Several commands finally woke her up, to which she stated that Kelley had taken her and the other passenger to the park. She did not know what was going on, the report said.
Once the other passenger woke up, it seemed he had been sleeping for some time. He did not appear to be under the influence of any controlled substance and did not give any useful information, the report said.
A search of the vehicle followed, including the security bag near Watts. Inside was a piece of tin foil containing more dark blue substance, like what was seen on the syringe. Both tested positive for fentanyl, the report said.
Watts later claimed the bag and syringes were not hers, although she used on Sunday. She stated she did not use any while at the park and that the fentanyl belonged to Kelley. Once he parked the vehicle, he walked away for several minutes before coming back. She believed that was when he cooked the fentanyl for use, the report said.
Kelley advised that the security bag belonged to Watts. He continued by saying the puncture wounds on his arms were from several days prior, during work. But the freshness of the wounds and the syringe now hidden under his seat contradicted this statement, the report said.
Additionally, a criminal history check revealed Kelley had several prior convictions for controlled substances in Lake County, the report said.
Watts was ultimately arrested on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and fentanyl. These charges violated her probation for petit theft, so when she was booked at the Lake County Jail, it was without bond.
Kelley was arrested on the same charges and released from jail after posting $3,500 bond.