Gas Station Trash Fire Leads to Meth Arrest in Belleview
A woman who allegedly set a gas station trash can on fire is now facing felony charges after deputies say she admitted to the act — and was also found carrying meth.
Marion County deputies and Belleview police responded early Friday morning to the Kwik King on SE Hwy 484 after firefighters extinguished a flaming trash can dangerously close to a gas pump. The plastic receptacle had melted completely, with damages estimated at $500.
Surveillance footage reviewed later that morning showed a woman, later identified as Amanda Horner, setting the trash can ablaze before walking away. A tattoo on her neck helped confirm her identity.
A few hours later, a store clerk spotted Horner sitting by the dumpster at the Chevron just down the road. When deputies confronted her, Horner reportedly confessed to setting the fire using a sock.
A search of her belongings turned up a glass pipe with meth residue. Deputies say field tests confirmed the presence of methamphetamine.
Horner was arrested and taken to the Marion County Jail on charges of criminal mischief, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The trash can wasn’t the only thing that went up in smoke.
