A Belleview woman was arrested on drug charges after snorting fentanyl in the back of a patrol car as officers searched her Cadillac.
Deputies conducted a traffic stop on the driver of a gold Cadillac, later identified as 41-year-old Evelyn Gayle Burleson, for speeding on Ice Cream Road and County Road 473 in Leesburg around 10 a.m. Tuesday, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
When the cops approached the vehicle, they discovered a plastic baggie containing clear crystalline material on the driver’s side of the floorboard. Burleson handed over the baggie to one of the officers, who suspected it contained illicit drug residue. She was then requested to exit the vehicle, according to the report.
The driver’s door included a purple lid and a transparent pill with a clear crystalline residue. There was also a multi-colored grinder with some green leafy stuff within. A pill bottle with a white tube glued to it was used as a smoking device on the driver’s side rear floorboard. According to the report, opening this revealed a brown rock-like substance that resembled burnt heroin.
Burleson was subsequently detained and searched. This revealed a burned blue cut straw with white powdery residue in her front denim short pocket. She was subsequently taken in the back of a patrol vehicle and arrested, according to the report.
One deputy continued to search the vehicle, while another went to check on Burleson. She was busily inhaling a white powdery substance out of a clear baggie. He took it from her and led her out of the vehicle to evaluate her, according to the report.
At 10:25 a.m., a deputy delivered one dose of nasal Narcan to Burleson. According to the complaint, Lake Fire Rescue arrived at the site and transported her to UF Health Leesburg Hospital, which is situated at 600 E Dixie Ave, Leesburg.
Burleson also informed a deputy that the substance she snorted was fentanyl, which she concealed in her bra. As she got out of the ambulance, a cut blue straw fell off her body. The straw resembled one found in her front denim short pocket, according to the report.
Meanwhile, the search for the vehicle continued. This resulted in the finding of a Batman-themed metal tin on the driver’s side floorboard. The investigation revealed the presence of two glass pipes, commonly used for smoking illicit substances.
The glass pipes had a dark burnt residue on them and were widely used to smoke illegal substances. There were also two plastic baggies that contained no residue. An additional little plastic baggie had a small amount of white powdery debris. The report stated that they found a scale next to the tin.
The clear crystalline material found inside the plastic baggie tested positive for methamphetamine. The dark, rock-like material tested positive for heroin. The report stated that the white powdery material tested positive for methamphetamine, while the leafy substance tested positive for CBD.
Burleson was then arrested on allegations of tampering with evidence and possessing fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana (less than 20 grams), and drug paraphernalia. She was taken to Lake County Jail, and bond was set at $14,500.