A Tavares woman was arrested after she reportedly tried to hide marijuana in her shorts during a traffic stop in Leesburg.
Nicole Marie Rodden, 35, of 11924 Lane Park Road, was charged with possession of a controlled substance (marijuana) and tampering with physical evidence. Lake County Jail records show she was arrested in 2019 on three counts of child neglect and one count of resisting an officer without violence.
Rodden was a back-seat passenger in a vehicle stopped by a Leesburg police officer early Saturday on U.S. Hwy. 441. The officer recognized the odor of marijuana emitting from the car and asked the four occupants about it, according to the police report.
Rodden told the officer there was a small “roach” that was smoked prior to the stop, but nothing else. When officers asked the occupants to step out of the car for it to be searched, Rodden became nervous and started looking around at where all of the officers were, the report said.
When the other back-seat passenger was asked to get out of the vehicle, the officer saw Rodden reach into the vaginal area of her shorts and and anxiously try to grab something. Rodden removed a sandwich size zip-lock baggie from her shorts and try to place it on the seat, according to the report.
The bag was completely filled with a green-leafy substance that later tested positive for marijuana. The officer told Rodden to stop, and Rodden apologized and said it was just marijuana, the report said.
No other drugs were found in the vehicle. The total weight of the marijuana was 47 grams, according to the report.
Rodden was released from jail Sunday on $7,000 bond. She’s due to appear in Lake County Court on July 11.
