A Summerfield woman who had been reported missing has been located and arrested for marijuana possession.
Deputies began searching for Bonnie Hartley, 42, on Tuesday evening, according to a Marion County Sheriff’s Office Facebook post. She was camped at Hopkins Prairie, south of Salt Springs. Concerned family members stated that she had not been seen in some days.
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The family also stated that she may have been suffering from a mental health crisis. She abandoned her provisions about a mile from her campground, potentially going without food or water.
According to an MCSO arrest report, deputies discovered Hartley on Wednesday morning at the Halfmoon Lake Boat Ramp, just south of the intersection of Northeast 196th Avenue Road and East Highway 40 in Silver Springs.
She described her travels since she was reported missing, and a deputy pointed to a white bottle on her person. He questioned what was inside, and she told him it was marijuana she obtained from a “stranger” while traveling through the Ocala National Forest, according to the report.
Hartley then showed the contents of the white bottle to the deputy, who identified them as marijuana. The report stated that she did not have a medical marijuana card.
She was arrested for possession of marijuana (less than 20 grams) and booked into Marion County Jail. She was released after paying a $1,000 bond.
