Search for fugitive leads to pontoon boat parked in home’s yard, NC sheriff says

A Virginia fugitive chose poorly when she tried hiding from deputies in a pontoon boat parked outside a North Carolina home, investigators say.

Not only did deputies discover her hiding place, but they also recovered a purse full of meth, the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office said in a March 7 news release.

The search happened Saturday at a home on Old Mocksville Road in Statesville, about a 40-mile drive north from uptown Charlotte.

“While deputies were on scene, they were advised that a subject had fled the area. Deputies conducted a search of the property and located the individual ... attempting to hide inside a pontoon boat in the backyard,” the sheriff’s office said.

The woman initially provided a false name, court documents report. When her true identity was discovered, she was arrested on an outstanding fugitive warrant out of Grayson County, Virginia, officials said.

A search warrant was executed at the property, revealing “a purse containing multiple bags of methamphetamine” was tucked into the spot where she had been hiding, officials said.

As a result, the 49-year-old woman was charged with possession with intent to sell and deliver methamphetamine, misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, and misdemeanor resisting a public officer, officials said.