Mom found 'slumped over and asleep' at wheel outside church with 3 young kids had 'trafficking amounts' of drugs in car: Police

A 33-year-old pistillate successful Florida was arrested implicit the play aft authorities allegedly recovered her slumped implicit the instrumentality of her car with 3 young children dormant successful the backmost portion parked successful beforehand of a religion with "trafficking amounts" of methamphetamine.

Amanda Lynn Burkes was taken into custody implicit the play and charged with aggregate crimes, including 3 counts of kid neglect, trafficking successful amphetamines, possession of a conveyance for cause activity, possession of methamphetamine wrong 1,000 feet of a spot of worship, marijuana possession, and possession of cause equipment, tribunal records show.

According to a probable origin affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, the incidental occurred precocious Sunday evening erstwhile a lawman with the Putnam County Sheriff's Office noticed Burkes' achromatic Chevrolet sedan parked alongside Bardin Road successful Palatka, Florida. The conveyance was partially occupying the parking batch of Midway Baptist Church.

The lawman had been responding to a abstracted telephone astatine the clip and returned to the religion astir 30 minutes later, uncovering the conveyance successful the aforesaid position.

Upon approaching the sedan, the lawman allegedly recovered Burkes "slumped implicit and dormant successful the driver's seat, with drool moving down the broadside of her mouth."

In the backseat, 3 children — ranging successful property from 7 months to 4 years old—were besides asleep. Investigators noted that blankets had been hung betwixt the beforehand and rear seats, "obstructing the driver's presumption of the children seated successful the rear."

After deputies woke Burkes and asked her to exit the vehicle, she reportedly admitted determination was marijuana wrong but denied the beingness of different contraband. A consequent hunt of the beforehand rider spot allegedly uncovered a achromatic magnetic container containing a solid smoking tube and baggies of a achromatic crystal-like substance.

Body camera footage provided by the sheriff's bureau showed deputies laying the alleged drugs retired connected the hood of Burkes' car.

A tract trial of the substance "yielded a presumptive affirmative effect for methamphetamine," the affidavit states. The full value of the drugs was astir 28.2 grams.

During an interrogation with investigators, Burkes reportedly claimed she had stopped for nutrient astatine McDonald's and was driving to her brother's house, though she "stated she did not cognize however agelong she and her children had been dormant connected the roadside." While she acknowledged the marijuana was hers, she allegedly claimed a neighbour known lone arsenic "Eddie" whitethorn person placed the achromatic container of methamphetamine successful her car without her cognition earlier that day.

Authorities notified the Department of Children and Families, and the children were yet released into the custody of their grandmother.

Burkes was transported to the Putnam County Jail for processing, wherever she was initially held without bond, the sheriff's bureau said. Court records bespeak she appeared earlier Putnam County Circuit Judge Alicia R. Washington connected Tuesday, who ordered her enslaved acceptable astatine $73,500. It was not instantly wide erstwhile Burkes was scheduled to instrumentality to court.