A passenger in a car that was stopped for a traffic violation found herself behind bars early Wednesday morning after giving a Marion County sheriff’s deputy a false name and date of birth.
Ashley Elizabeth Blend, 28, of Reddick, initially refused to identify herself to the deputy but then claimed to be named “Heather L. McKinney,” with birth date of Jan. 18, 1989, a sheriff’s office report states.
A short time later, a sheriff’s K-9 unit arrived and the dog alerted on the vehicle, indicating the presence of narcotics. A subsequent search revealed methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
After confirming Blend’s true identity, the deputy again asked her for her real name and Blend continued to claim to be Heather L. McKinney. The deputy told her she was obstructing his investigation and put her in handcuffs. And he told her that once they arrived at the jail, her true identity would be confirmed, along with any outstanding warrants.
At that point, Blend admitted to her real name and the deputy confirmed she had an outstanding warrant for loitering and prowling. She was transported to the jail and charged with giving false identification to a law enforcement officer, as well as the initial charge of loitering and prowling.
Blend, who has been in the jail three times since June 2017, was held on $1,000 bond on the false identification charge and is due in court Jan. 11 at 1:30 p.m. She was held on no bond on the other charge and will appear in court on Dec. 6.