When his automobile was pulled over for a broken tail light on Wednesday night, a woman who was a passenger in it ended up in police custody. According to an arrest record from the Leesburg Police Department, the police pulled over a white Chevy Malibu with a burned-out tail light close to the intersection of Tuskegee Street and Griffin Road.
Upon speaking with the driver, 36-year-old Jonathan Lucas, the officer learned that Lucas was operating the vehicle while his license was suspended. When questioned if the car contained any illicit items, both he and his companion, Leesburg resident Lauren M. Murphy, 30, replied, “No.” Additionally, Lucas resisted letting the cops search his automobile.
Murphy gave the police two false birthdates and initially claimed to be Katie D. Chapman. The cops contacted the Lake County Sheriff’s Office for aid in verifying her genuine identity using their Rapid ID technology as Dispatch had no information on that name with either birthday.
A K-9 officer conducted a smell test around the car’s exterior while waiting for the deputies. A search was initiated after the K-9 warned on the automobile, indicating the presence of drugs. Digital scales, a baggie containing methamphetamine, and hypodermic needles were discovered by the authorities as Murphy was sitting in the car while carrying a black Adidas rucksack.
She was taken into custody. Her fingerprints were scanned shortly after the deputies arrived with the Rapid ID apparatus, revealing her genuine identity. Murphy was accused of resisting arrest without using force, having a controlled substance, and having drug-related equipment. She was detained at the Lake County Jail on a $6,000 bond.
