SUMMERFIELD, Fla. – A woman with more run-ins with the law than booking photos is behind bars again, and she’s in trouble in two Florida counties.
Jessica Lynn Rakes’ latest arrest happened Oct. 11 when a sheriff’s deputy saw her run a stop sign.
He conducted a traffic stop, and, “When asked, she informed me that the while the vehicle is registered to her aunt, she owns the vehicle and it is hers.
“While conducting my traffic investigation,” he wrote in the arrest report, “it was revealed to me that the defendant was wanted for a warrant out of Lake County for failure to appear on counts of possession of methamphetamine, possession of fentanyl, and possession of drug paraphernalia,” so she was arrested.
“Before placing the defendant in the back seat of my patrol car,” the deputy wrote, “I asked her if she was in possession of any narcotics or weapons that would cause her additional charges upon arrival at the jail. She informed me that [she] had nothing and was placed in my patrol vehicle.”
Then, it was time for “a pre-tow inventory of the vehicle for any valuables to be documented,” and instead of valuables, a second deputy reported finding “a piece of aluminum foil with burnt residue in the driver’s door pocket,” which “tested presumptive positive for fentanyl.”
A third deputy – a woman – “arrived to speak with the defendant and perform a pat-down of the defendant. While with her, [the deputy] asked the defendant if she had anything on her person that she wished to surrender. The defendant denied anything being not already found, and was again placed in the back of my patrol vehicle and transported to Marion County Jail.”
They arrived, “and while in the sally port, I spoke again with the defendant. I informed her that if she was in possession of any narcotics not previously found that she would face further charges. She denied having any illegal items on or inside of her.”
Note, the deputy used the word “inside.”
“While being booked into the jail, I was away aware of two small baggies found inside the defendant’s vagina by [a different] female detention deputy. These baggies containing substances were collected and provided to me by jail staff.”
The first reportedly had “a fine flaky white powdery substance which field-tested presumptive for fentanyl,” and the second “contained a crystal rocky substance. In testing, the substance tested field presumptive positive for methamphetamine.”
Later, the deputy wrote, “She informed me that the narcotics were fentanyl and methamphetamine. She informed me that she placed these items in her vagina when I activated my overhead lights to pull her over because she did not want to be caught with the drugs. When asked why she brought them into the jail, the defendant informed me that she did not think jail staff would find the narcotics inside her.”
Rakes was charged with obstructing justice by tampering, two counts of smuggling contraband into detention, possession of fentanyl, possession of a controlled substance-methamphetamine, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
There’s no word if or when she’ll be returned to Lake County for the warrant.
Four months earlier, in June, Rakes was arrested during another traffic stop, and she wasn’t alone.
A Fruitland Park officer conducting traffic enforcement near a gas station saw her “seated in the driver’s seat … next to a gas pump, with the driver’s side door wide open and her head down towards the floor.
“At first glance,” the officer wrote, “it appeared as though she may be looking for something she dropped. However, she was not making any movements. I also observed a small juvenile in the front seat of the vehicle.”
The officer parked nearby, watched traffic, and noticed,
“The female had not moved in what felt like minutes since my arrival. As I was about to go conduct a wellness check, the Chevy suddenly moved forward to exit” the gas station. “Due to the angle of her car, I could see another juvenile in the rear of the vehicle without a seat belt as the vehicle waited to turn.
“I positioned myself behind the vehicle and observed the Chevy stop” at a red light, but “beyond the stop bar within the crosswalk.”
He conducted a traffic stop, and, “As I approached,” he wrote, “I observed the juvenile in the rear of the vehicle lying across the bench seat without a seatbelt.
“I observed the defendant appear disheveled, wearing only one shoe, having bloodshot red, watery eyes with bags underneath, smeared makeup, and mushy speech.
“When I asked the defendant if she was under the influence of alcohol or narcotics, she advised no. I inquired as to how much sleep she received the night before, due to her bloodshot red, watery eyes; the defended advised she was exhausted.
“As the defendant handed me her paperwork, I observed her to be visibly shaking. Additionally, a search in Spillman revealed the defendant has numerous involvements with law enforcement regarding narcotics usage.
“I inquired as to whether there was any contraband within the vehicle, to which she declined. When asked for consent to search the vehicle, the defendant declined as well,” but that really didn’t matter.
“Due to the indicators of possible narcotics usage, I requested [a K9 officer] and his K9 Fast to respond to the scene.
“As I was conducting my investigation, K9 Fast conducted a free air sniff of the exterior of the vehicle. [The K9 officer] then advised K9 Fast indicated a positive alert to the odor of narcotics within the vehicle.”
A search reportedly turned up “multiple pieces of foil gum wrappers and two blue straws containing white powder, and burn marks were found in plain sight in the crack between the bottom of the seat and the top. Upon further investigation, multiple pieces of the gum wrappers were burnt,” and, “one of the gum wrappers had a crushed white powder inside.”
Then, “In the rear passenger floorboard of the vehicle, multiple pieces of a clear crystallized substance and a white powder-like substance were scattered throughout,” and the arrest report said it all tested “presumptive positive for methamphetamine and fentanyl.”
The officer noted how close the substances were to the child in the back, and as they were searching,
“One of the juveniles was visibly upset, advising he did not want the defendant to go to jail because the defendant had advised after she was pulled over that she was going to jail.”
Rakes was right.
She was charged with possession of a controlled substance without a prescription-methamphetamine and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription-fentanyl, along with possession of drug paraphernalia.
The arrest report didn’t say how the kids were related, or what happened to them.
To Rakes’ credit, she was not arrested when she was caught speeding in a school zone, unknowingly with a suspended license, in August 2024, or when she failed to yield in May 2023.
Rakes was arrested at a convenience store in Weirsdale on Dec. 28, 2022, after what seemed like a casual conversation with a Marion County sheriff’s deputy.
“While speaking to the defendant,” the deputy wrote, “I observed that she was holding a black-in-color book bag. In the front unzippered [sic] pocket of the book bag, I observed a blue-in-color straw with a white-in-color residue.
“From multiple previous law enforcement contacts, I knew Ms. Rakes to be a drug user and I believed the substance inside of the straw was drug residue. Ms. Rakes stated the straw was previously used to consume methamphetamine.
“A search of the bag also revealed a used glass bong with a white-in-color residue that the defendant stated she has used to consume methamphetamine.”
The deputy said it field-tested positive and Rakes was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia.
Judgment & Sentence, March 20, 2023 by Lenny Cohen on Scribd
In March, she ended up serving nine days in jail.
Not all of Rakes’ troubles involved drugs.
The owner of an apartment called Leesburg police on Dec. 12, 2019, to say his neighbor called, and said “someone was inside that did not have permission.”
The arrest report said an officer spoke to the neighbor,
who said “the individual used the back door to gain entry. The neighbor also said that door on the back has had a damaged frame for several months, and could be simply pushed open.
“The neighbor also said that the apartment did not have electric power, and the individual whom entered used an extension cord plugged into the unattached laundry room to get power inside the apartment.”
Then, authorities called the owner, who reportedly said he had no idea “who may be inside. The victim said that he was working out of town [but] wished to prosecute.”
Authorities stood by both doors, one of them knocked, “and about a minute later, the rear door opens and two individuals exit.”
Rakes and a man identified as Dylan Tolin were detained while officers made sure nobody else was inside.
At the police station, Rakes “said that her sister, who does not reside at the apartment, said she and Defendant 2 could enter the apartment. The defendant also said she and Defendant 2 are currently homeless and stay where they can to stay off ‘the streets.’
“The defendant also did not know how to contact the victim, and did not know where he was employed.”
Rakes and Tolin were charged with trespassing.
The couple would be in more trouble a month later, during an incident at his mother’s home.
Fruitland Park police said Rakes had an active warrant for a probation violation for possession of narcotic equipment.
“It should be noted,” the arrest report said, “that the responding officers were very familiar with the defendant from multiple previous interactions. It should also be noted that the apartment officers responded to is the listed address for the defendant, and officers have made contact with the defendant multiple times at this address before today.”
Officers conducted some surveillance.
One, on the south side,
looked “through a window that is covered by blinds [and] observed two figures inside of the house. From previous interactions at the residence, I was able to determine that the figures were in the kitchen area of the residence. I was able to hear a male voice speaking and I recognize the voice to be Dylan Tolin.”
Another officer, in the front,
“could see through the window the defendant, standing in the kitchen, holding a mop, arguing with her significant other, Dylan Tolin.”
He now has nine arrests in Lake County.
Cops surrounded the home, the officer at the front door knocked,
and the arrest report said “the defendant immediately stopped what she was doing and started whispering to Dylan. [The officer] attempted to get Dylan to answer the doors several times, to which he stated that he was not supposed to answer the door, and that he was going to get his mother, [name], to come to the door.”
She now has three arrests in Lake County, but she was not arrested during this incident.
“During this entire time,” the arrest report continued, “[the officer] was giving loud verbal commands to the defendant to exit the residence and come outside, to which the defendant did not obey.
“[The mother], the homeowner, then opened the door, denied Jessica Rakes being there, and asked where my warrant was. During this time, Dylan was yelling that Jessica was not present at the residence, and began a verbal confrontation with officers. [The mother] then allowed [an officer], who she referred to as ‘String Bean,’ to come inside, at which point [the officer] and I began searching the interior of [the] home. [The other officer] then observed a brown-in-color chair underneath the attic door, and it appeared that the cover to the attic was not shut all the way.
“Verbal commands were given to the defendant to come out from the attic. She would not respond to officers, so we gave more verbal commands. I then observed a bare foot coming out of a pre-existing damaged portion of the ceiling drywall.
“I gave more loud verbal commands yet again, and I began seeing the ceiling drywall moving in sections, and it appeared that she was moving from the kitchen area to the living room.
“I advised her to come out from the attic, to which she finally screamed, ‘I’m coming down’ and ‘I’m in the f****** attic.’
“The defendant then fell through the ceiling drywall and landed on her feet, at which point she was placed under arrest.”
Rakes pleaded no contest to trespassing and possession of narcotics equipment, spent more than two weeks in jail.
This time, the 36-year-old Rakes pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the stop sign traffic stop, drugs, and contraband baggies in jail.
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