A homeless woman in Leesburg was arrested after being caught trespassing with narcotics and a glass pipe in the Southside Shopping Center plaza.
An officer responded to Dollar General, located at 1413 S. 14th St., regarding a request to trespass 39-year-old Tina Louise Kasson from the business property around 5:49 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department.
Upon arrival, the officer met with an employee of the store who reiterated she wanted Kasson trespassed from the property. The officer then approached Kasson in front of Save A Lot in the parking lot, located at 1415 S. 14th St., the report said.
Dispatch advised that Kasson had been previously trespassed from the plaza of the Southside Shopping Center, located at 1319 S. 14th St. She was given two trespass warnings from the plaza, the first on July 9, 2024, and the second on July 15, 2024. She was subsequently placed under arrest, the report said.
While conducting a search of a backpack Kasson wore, a clear plastic baggie containing a white crystalline substance was discovered. It later tested positive for methamphetamine and weighed 0.72 grams. Additionally, a clear plastic square with a clear crystalline residue and a clear glass smoking device with brown residue were found, the report said.
Kasson was charged with possession of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia (possess or use) and trespass after warning. She was transported to Lake County Jail with bond set at $4,500.
The Arizona native was arrested at the same shopping center in Nov. 2024 when she was found sleeping there with a glass pipe. She was also arrested in June 2023 for biting a detention deputy’s arm and in May 2022 after throwing a handful of items at an officer.