A Wildwood man found himself behind bars Thursday night after he was found sitting in a vehicle with his head tilted back and his mouth open.
A Marion County sheriff’s deputy spoke with 36-year-old Darrell Eugene Freeman, who was standing next to a dark-colored SUV. Paramedics reported that Freeman became alert when they arrived to check on his condition.
The 911 caller who found Freeman apparently passed out in his vehicle said he waited 30 minutes to see if he would move his vehicle, which was blocking his Marion Oaks Boulevard driveway. He said he didn’t feel safe approaching Freeman so he called sheriff’s deputies for help.
Freeman told deputies that he was waiting for a friend named “Tamika” who lives in the area. He claimed she had run away but he didn’t know why. Freeman also told the deputies that he was “OK” and wasn’t taking any medication except Tylenol PM, a sheriff’s office report states.
Freeman said he didn’t know why it took him so long to wake up. He said the vehicle belonged to his mother and she didn’t know he had it. He also claimed that “Tamika” drove them to the area and then “took off running” and he was waiting for her to return.
Freeman agreed to let deputies search him and the vehicle. He then placed a pink bag on top of the vehicle that contained his Florida identification card, his Social Security card, multiple credit cards, a small red straw and a small clear plastic bag containing a white powdery substance. The straw and the substance in the bag tested positive for methamphetamine, the report says.
Freeman denied owning the pink bag but said some of the items inside it were his. He claimed the white powdery substance belonged to “Tamika” but was “very vague” when asked about his relationship with her, the report says.
Freeman was placed under arrest and transported to the Marion County Jail, where he was charged with possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and possession and/or use of drug equipment. He was being held on $3,000 bond and his next court date hasn’t yet been set, jail records show.
