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Ocala
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Belleview woman jailed after being caught driving stolen vehicle

A 32-year-old Belleview woman was arrested after she was spotted driving a vehicle that had been reported stolen by the Ocala Police Department.

On Sunday, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy was on patrol near the 5600 block of NW 71st Street in Ocala when a Mercury Grand Marquis was observed. The vehicle matched the description of the stolen vehicle that OPD had reported.

The deputy ran a computer search of the vehicle’s license plate and confirmed that it was the stolen vehicle. The deputy conducted a traffic stop at the 5300 block of W Highway 326 and the vehicle came to a stop near the 4800 block.

The driver exited the vehicle and was identified as Monique Shanoah Kelch.

Monique Shanoah Kelch
Monique Shanoah Kelch

A search of the vehicle’s interior was conducted by the deputy and an MCSO sergeant. Along with miscellaneous personal belongings, three separate packaged items containing a white material were found. This material field-tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine.

Two plastic straws were also located in the vehicle, and a swab from inside both straws also revealed the presence of methamphetamine.

Kelch agreed to speak with the deputy and admitted that she was not the vehicle’s owner. She stated that the vehicle belonged to her boyfriend, and she was only using it to get to the store. She was unable to provide her boyfriend’s physical address to the deputy.

According to the MCSO report, she admitted that her personal belongings were inside the vehicle. She told the deputy that the white material was supposed to be methamphetamine, and she added that she was “unable to get high” from it. She also confirmed that the straws belonged to her and were used while taking the drugs.

Kelch advised the deputy that her driver’s license was suspended. A computer search of Kelch confirmed that her license was suspended in 2015 and it was cancelled indefinitely in August of 2020.

Kelch was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where she is currently being held on $7,000 bond. She is facing felony charges for grand theft of a motor vehicle and possession of a controlled substance, along with misdemeanor charges for possession of drug paraphernalia, driving with a suspended license, and petit theft.

A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.