A Daytona Beach woman heading north on Interstate 95 was arrested early Sunday morning after deputies found methamphetamine hidden in her clothing and discovered the car she was driving had been stolen, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies arrested 45-year-old Suntisha Cochrane shortly after midnight near mile marker 289 in Palm Coast. Authorities initially pulled the vehicle over after an alert indicated that the car’s registered owner had a suspended driver’s license.
Upon conducting the stop, deputies realized Cochrane was not the vehicle’s owner and confirmed that her own license was also suspended. When deputies asked Cochrane to step out of the car, they noticed an unnatural bulge under her sports bra, which turned out to be a plastic bag filled with methamphetamine.
Deputies then contacted the registered owner of the vehicle. The owner stated that Cochrane had received permission to borrow the car earlier in the week but never returned it. The owner added that he had previously tried to report the vehicle stolen in Volusia County and still wished to press charges.
According to investigators, Cochrane admitted she was not supposed to have the car and said she was driving out of Florida on her way to Tennessee.
Cochrane was arrested and booked into the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility. She faces charges of grand theft of a motor vehicle, possession of methamphetamine, and driving with a suspended license, with bond set at $4,500.
“This was a great job by deputies by looking beyond the traffic stop to determine the vehicle was actually stolen and she was in possession of meth,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said. “Now instead of a nice drive to the Volunteer State, she got an unvoluntary ride to the Green Roof Inn.”
Sheriff’s office records show Cochrane has a history of a dozen prior arrests across three states, involving past charges such as DUI, reckless driving, burglary, petit theft, possession of a controlled substance, assault, offering to commit prostitution, and violation of probation.
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