A stolen license plate led to the arrest of a Village of Bonnybrook woman at the Wal-Mart at Buffalo Ridge Plaza.
A Sumter County sheriff’s deputy had been on patrol at about 10 p.m. Thursday when he spotted a purple Honda Accord with a license plate that had been reported stolen in Marion County. He waited until 41-year-old Melissa Berg emerged from the store and walked to the car. She appeared to be nervous and kept looking over her shoulder, according to the arrest report.
“The defendant stated she just bought the vehicle. The defendant would not answer how or why the tag was on her vehicle. The defendant kept stating ‘I just bought the vehicle,’” the deputy wrote in the arrest report.
Berg, who lives with her mother at 2112 Callaway Drive and was arrested in February after she was caught with methamphetamine in her bra, admitted she had needles in her purse and inside the car. One of the needles tested positive for heroin. Marijuana and a vape pen also were found in the car. The vape pen tested positive for THC oil.
A search of her purse also turned up the title for the purple Accord and it had no tag on the title.
Berg was arrested on charges of theft, possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana and possession of drug equipment. She was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center on $4,000 bond.
