A woman reportedly tried to hand off a cigarette pack containing methamphetamine while she was being arrested on warrants outside her tent in the Ocala Forest Campground.
Deidra Eileen Popa, 24, of Umatilla, was charged with possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug equipment in addition to the arrest warrants for possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia. Popa is also being held for violating her probation stemming from a conviction in Lake County for possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana.
A Marion County sheriff’s deputy responded Monday to Popa’s address of lot 74 at the campground, located at 26301 SE Hwy. 42 in Umatilla, to pick her up on an outstanding warrant. When the deputy arrived, he saw a white female who matched Popa’s description standing in front of the lot, according to the sheriff’s office report.
Upon seeing the deputy, the woman – later identified as Popa – turned around and quickly walked into the tent. The deputy spoke to a man who said he also lives in the tent. The deputy asked the man to have Popa come outside and he opened the tent and had her come out, the report said.
The deputy told Popa there was a warrant for her arrest and asked her to place her hands behind her back. While her hands were being placed in handcuffs, Popa reached into her back pants pocket and pulled out a cell phone and cigarette pack. She tried to hand the items to the man, saying “Here take my phone,” but the deputy stopped the transfer and took her to the patrol car, according to the report.
Once Popa was in the vehicle, the deputy opened the cigarette pack and found a rolled-up dollar bill with a white residue inside and a small clear baggie containing a white powder that tested positive for methamphetamine. After being read her Miranda warning, Popa said she just recently received the cigarettes from a friend. She said she was trying to hand off the pack of cigarettes because she knew there was a baggie of meth inside, the report said.
The man who Popa tried to hand the pack to said he didn’t know there was methamphetamine inside it and didn’t know why she was trying to give it to him, according to the report.
Popa is being held without bond in the Marion County Jail and is scheduled to appear in Marion County Court on Aug. 18 for the meth charges and Sept. 8 for the marijuana charges.