A work crew called police after finding a homeless pair sleeping in a makeshift camp in Lady Lake.
Officers responded to a trespass complaint in the 200 block of Longview Avenue around 10:30 a.m. Saturday, according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department. They met with members of a work crew who were on site to conduct a yard clean up. As they were inspecting the yard, they observed two people, one of which was later identified as 39-year-old Amber Nichole Morales, sleeping in the back yard. Management needed them gone so the task could be finished.
The officers made contact with the two individuals who were covered with a blanket and appeared to be asleep. Near them was a large machete, which was secured before the officers woke them up. One of the officers knew both subjects from previous law enforcement encounters, the report said.
The unidentified male suspect proceeded to get up and exit the blanket. Morales stayed under the blankets and moved her hands around. The officers removed the blanket to see her fondling a fanny pack bag and trying to put on a second pair of pants, the report said.
An officer asked Morales to step away from the bag, not knowing if any weapons were inside. A K-9 unit then checked the four bags present in the makeshift camp. The K-9 ultimately alerted to the fanny pack, the report said.
The contents of the fanny pack included Morales’ ID card, Narcan, cigarettes and a small black concealment container. Inside the container was a white oval pill imprinted with M365 on one side, two clear baggies with a white rock-like substance and a white powdery substance, and two pieces of burnt foil commonly used when taking illegal narcotics, the report said.
Morales was read her rights and agreed to speak with the officers. She was questioned about the items in the black container, to which she stated her friend was bad off on drugs. She took them from the friend and put them in her fanny pack. After she left her friend’s house, she fell asleep with the items and forgot they were in her possession, the report said.
The pill was later identified as 325mg of acetaminophen hydrocodone. The two clear baggies tested positive for methamphetamine and weighed 1 gram, the report said.
Morales was arrested and charged with possession of methamphetamine, hydrocodone and drug paraphernalia. She was transported to Lake County Jail with bond set at $6,000.
She was also arrested in 2025 with narcotics following a disturbance, in 2024 with heroin pills in her pocket and in 2023 with pills in her backpack.