A female passenger was arrested with marijuana after a driver fled from the scene of a traffic stop in Wildwood.
A man was driving a white Volkswagen at about 3 p.m. Saturday when he ran a stop sign at Oak Street and Jackson Street, according to an arrest report from the Wildwood Police Department. An officer initiated a traffic stop, but the driver, described as a “younger black male,” bolted from the car and fled toward a wooded area. A female passenger, 21-year-old Tanyia La Chea Gooden of Wildwood, initially attempted to flee also, but halted and got back into the vehicle when commanded to do so by the police officer.
When the officer approached the car, the odor of burnt marijuana was detected. A search of the vehicle turned up marijuana, found in plastic bags in the vehicle’s center console.
Gooden was arrested on charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug equipment. She was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center on $1,000 bond.