Pasco Woman Loses Pound Of Meth At Walmart, Goes Back To Get It
Sometimes you have to just let things go, like when you accidentally leave a pound of methamphetamine in your local Walmart. Walk away, it belongs to the universe now. But not all of us can do that. Some of us feel the need to poke the tiger, to press our luck. That’s what Pinellas County deputies say happened on Monday.
Investigators say a Pasco woman left a “Paw Patrol” backpack at a local Walmart earlier this week. Once she realized her mistake, she called the store and asked about the bag. Store employees told her that they had indeed found the bag and had taken it to their office for safe keeping. Ecstatic, the woman hurried back to the store to claim the lost item. Once she arrived, she was taken to a room where police officers were gathered. Turns out, the bag contained a pound of methamphetamine, which is generally frowned upon by law enforcement.
Deputies from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office say 40-year-old Karen Brodmerkel was observed on in-store surveillance cameras dropping a “Paw Patrol” backpack as she reached for an item on a shelf. After the pack fell from her arm, she walked away, apparently forgetting about the dropped bag. Later that day, police say Brodmerkel called the store and asked about the bag. A store employee told her that the bag had been located and was available for her to come pick up. What Brodmerkel didn’t know, was that the employee had looked inside the bag in an effort to determine who owned it.
That’s when they found multiple bags filled with a white substance, two other containers filled with another substance, a glass pipe, aluminum foil, razor blades, a lighter and scissors. The substances tested positive for meth and fentanyl, respectively.
Brodmerkel told investigators that neither the bag nor its contents belonged to her. The woman was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was released after posting bond and is awaiting trial. Source: WFLA.com