An Ocala woman with a half-dozen previous drug arrests was charged with possession of methamphetamine, heroin, and drug paraphernalia outside a gas station early Wednesday morning.
Stephanie Marie Tullercash, 25, of 3060 SE 48th St., was a passenger in a gray Nissan Altima that the Marion County Sheriff’s Office had a “be on the lookout” alert from the Gainesville Police Department. The registered owner had made concerning statements and had an active warrant from Hillsborough County, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The car was located at the Circle K convenience store at 5201 S. Pine Ave. shortly after midnight. At that time, Tullercash walked back to the vehicle carrying a brown purse. She placed the purse on the vehicle’s hood and was asked to step away from the vehicle. She voluntarily left the purse on the hood, the report said.
A sheriff’s office K-9 conducted an open-air search around the perimeter of the vehicle and indicated the presence of illegal narcotics, prompting a probable cause search. Inside the purse, deputies found a small wooden box containing numerous plastic straws, small clear plastic bags, empty hypodermic syringes, one loaded syringe containing a dark liquid substance, one baggie of a white powdery substance, one clear plastic bag with a tannish powdery substance, one clear plastic bag of a clear crystalline substance and a glass pipe with burnt residue on the interior, according to the report.
The tannish powdery substance field tested positive for heroin. The clear crystalline substance tested positive for methamphetamine. Tests on the white powdery substance were inconclusive, while the burnt residue in the glass pipe tested positive for methamphetamine, the report said.
Tullercash told the deputies the purse didn’t belong to her and she didn’t have any knowledge of its contents. She did say, however, that she was planning on stealing the purse. She also said she smokes methamphetamine recreationally, according to the report. Marion County Jail records show Tullercash has six previous drug-related arrests dating back to 2012.
The driver said the purse wasn’t in his vehicle before Tullercash got in it. He also said he knows Tullercash does illegal drugs, the report said.
Tullercash is being held without bond and is scheduled to appear in Marion County Court on June 11.