A woman was arrested on drug charges after hiding fentanyl in an ashtray due to fear of losing her citizenship.
Officers on patrol saw a red Honda passenger car cross over a stop bar at the intersection of West Clarke and Jackson Streets at 9:40 p.m. Thursday, according to an arrest report from the Wildwood Police Department. They then stopped the occupants, including 36-year-old Amanda Michelle Sutton, just west of the intersection.
The report noted that the officers were in the area due to recent anonymous tips about drugs being sold at a house on Jackson Street. The Honda had parked in the yard of this residence, where Sutton had a brief interaction inside before returning to the passenger side of the vehicle.
When speaking with the occupants, both Sutton and the male driver listed their primary residence as Satsuma. This was about 60 miles from the residence on Jackson Street, which was located in a well-documented high-crime area. A K-9 unit subsequently sniffed around their vehicle, alerting to the presence of narcotics, the report said.
Both occupants were removed from the vehicle so it could be searched, and they were asked about narcotics. Sutton advised that there was a pipe used to smoke crack cocaine in the outer pocket of a bookbag. She claimed this was the only illegal item present, the report said.
However, officers found 0.58 grams of fentanyl inside a black plastic cigarette ashtray beneath smoked and discarded cigarettes. Sutton later admitted she hid the fentanyl in the ashtray as a natural reaction due to prior negative experiences with law enforcement and fear of losing her American citizenship, the report said. The report noted she is Hispanic but it did not provide her country of origin.
Sutton was arrested on charges of possession of fentanyl, tampering with evidence and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center and released after posting $3,600 bond.