The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office arrested a woman Monday evening after a traffic violation led deputies to discover a felony amount of marijuana in the trunk of her vehicle.
Just before 8:00 p.m., deputies investigating a traffic crash along southbound I-75 near mile marker 189 in North Port observed a vehicle fail to move over or slow down despite their activated emergency lights. Patrol deputies initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and contacted the driver, Taylor Bennett, DOB 09/16/97, who was driving with an Indiana learner’s permit. Bennett was cited for failure to move over and violation of her learner’s permit. Bennett then agreed to a search of her vehicle where deputies discovered several items consistent with the packaging and distribution of drugs including a scale, several baggies, more than $1,700 in cash, and more than 200 grams of marijuana. Bennett was taken to the Sarasota County Jail and charged with one count of Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Sell. She remains in custody on $1,500 bond.
While the sheriff’s office prioritizes traffic safety and education year-round, this arrest is especially noteworthy as January is “Move Over” month in the state of Florida. As a reminder, Florida law requires drivers to move over a lane or slow down for stopped law enforcement, emergency, sanitation, and utility service vehicles as well as tow trucks and wreckers.