Marion County Traffic Stop Escalates to Drug Arrest
Marion County deputies arrested Amanda Stark on January 12 after a traffic stop spiraled into a felony pursuit and drug charges.
According to the arrest report, Stark was behind the wheel of a blue pickup truck that rolled past a stop sign on Southeast 84th Terrace. When Deputy C. Paddock activated lights and sirens, Stark allegedly ignored them, leading deputies on a brief chase through a roundabout before stopping at the Mulberry Grove Recreation Center parking lot.
Deputies say Stark tried to play the old “it wasn’t me” card, claiming she wasn’t the driver despite exiting the vehicle from the driver’s side. Her passenger, Derek Jackson, stayed silent, while deputies noted the doors on his side opened just fine.
A search of the vehicle revealed a purse directly behind the driver’s seat containing a pipe testing positive for methamphetamine and multiple small bags of the substance. Stark’s driver’s license and prescription bottles were also found in the purse. Despite claiming ignorance about the drugs, she admitted the purse was hers.
Stark was arrested on charges of fleeing to elude law enforcement, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was booked into the Marion County Jail and issued multiple traffic citations.
