A woman wanted on a felony warrant was arrested Monday afternoon in Port Charlotte after being accused of crashing her car while trying to avoid deputies in a store parking lot, where they later found fentanyl, methamphetamine and other drugs.
According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, detectives with the Narcotics Unit saw
Samantha J. James, 29, in the parking lot of a discount retail store on Kings Highway around 3:30 p.m.
Because she had a felony warrant and was out on bond for prior drug sales, they called for backup to take her into custody.
When deputies approached, they say James tried to drive away in a gold Jeep Cherokee, first backing into a parked car and then driving forward into a tree. They say she then ran away but was caught after a short chase on foot.
Deputies searched James' vehicle and reported finding 16 grams of fentanyl, 72.4 grams of methamphetamine, 4.7 grams of cocaine, 51 grams of marijuana, 10.9 grams of alprazolam and 10.8 grams of psilocybin.
James faces charges of violating supervised release, trafficking in methamphetamine and fentanyl, and possessing cocaine, marijuana, alprazolam and psilocybin. She is being held without bond at the Charlotte County Jail.
Sheriff Bill Prummell said in a statement that she would not be given another opportunity to bond out.
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