Crime & Safety

Driver With Child in Pickup Spits Crack Cocaine at Traffic Stop, Deputies Say

A routine traffic stop in Sarasota leads to a suspect allegedly trying to hide crack cocaine inside her mouth.

A 32-year-old driver pulled over for a routine traffic stop faces drug charges, after Sarasota deputies say that she tried to hide crack cocaine in her mouth.

Her 48-year-old companion faces drug and child abuse charges, after the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office alleges that he brought along a 6-year-old child and assisted in an alleged drug purchase just prior to the arrests.

On June 14, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office alleges that Fallon Miller was driving a white pickup truck with Gregory Wagner in the passenger seat, and a 6-year-old boy sitting between them.

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Deputies said that they observed her running a stop sign at 24th Street and Dixie and then pulling into a residence at 27th Street and Dixie.

The woman exited the vehicle, went into the house briefly and returned to the vehicle, driving to a nearby Wendy's.

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According to the Sheriff's Office, an officer approached the driver at that point about running the traffic sign, and saw the young child sitting between the couple in the front seat.

Miller told the officer that she was driving on a suspended license. When asked if she was on probation, the suspect told the officer she had been to drug court, according to the Sheriff's Office.

At that point, the officer asked Miller if she had any drug paraphernalia in the vehicle. The deputy said that she responded: "Honestly, I have a crack pipe."

According to the deputy, he then observed a small chunk of what appeared to be white crack cocaine inside her mouth.

He said that he grabbed her jaw and ordered her to spit it out, but Miller pushed her finger inside her mouth, allegedly trying to swallow the drugs.

The deputy pulled her hand from Miller's mouth and again ordered her to spit out the cocaine. A struggle ensued, causing her to spit out the cocaine, or the drug to fall from her mouth.

Deputies called a family member of Wagner to pick up the boy. The Department of Children and Families also was notified.

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