A Fruitland Park man and an Ocala woman were arrested with methamphetamine during what looked like a drug deal.
Deputies were headed west on Allyson Road in Leesburg when they spotted a white Dodge Caliber stopped in the middle of the street at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. The driver, 37-year-old Jamael Deron Luckett, was talking to 35-year-old Ashley Elizabeth Harvey through the window.
After about 30 seconds of sitting behind the vehicle, the deputies saw Harvey reach through the window with what looked like cash. She then withdrew her left hand, clenched into a fist, and immediately put something in her front left pocket. This interaction appeared to be a drug deal, so the deputies stopped the pair where they were, the report said.
Harvey advised that she was paying Luckett for automotive work. She initially claimed nothing was in her pocket, but she then pulled out a clear plastic baggie of methamphetamine. She stated Luckett gave it to her, and it was for one of her friends, the report said.
A K-9 unit subsequently responded to the scene and positively alerted to the odor of narcotics. A search of the vehicle revealed shards of methamphetamine on the driver’s side of the floorboard, the report said.
Luckett was arrested on charge of possession of methamphetamine. He was also issued written warnings for attached tag not assigned and operating an unregistered motor vehicle. He was booked at the Lake County Jail and released after posting $2,500 bond.
Harvey was also arrested on the same charge and booked at the jail with bond set at $5,000.