Woman’s latest arrest happened with son ‘in the parking lot of the X-Mart Adult Supercenter’

WILDWOOD, Fla. – “A suspicious person in the parking lot of the X-Mart Adult Supercenter” got the attention of sheriff’s deputies who rushed over to see what the excitement was about.

They ended up arresting a woman whose son was sitting in a car.

It happened in Florida in the early hours of March 3, 2024.

“[A deputy] was conducting a vehicle search following a K9 alert,” her arrest report said, “when the defendant approached the scene and identified herself as the mother of the vehicle occupant.”

Then, a corporal “asked for consent to search the defendant’s bag for anything illegal,” and according to the arrest report, “The defendant stated he could search the bag and provided him with it. During the search, [the corporal] located a blue straw that had a residue visible inside, which presumptive field-tested positive for fentanyl. 

Apparently, Lorinda Carole Lapham was not arrested that night. No explanation was given, but her arrest wouldn’t happen for many months.

Lapham’s drug arrest in April 2022 also took place under interesting circumstances. The arrest report doesn’t say if she was on the street, a sidewalk, or any location other than a vague area, but a deputy “performing routine patrol” one afternoon saw her “swaying back and forth.

“I parked my patrol vehicle,” the deputy wrote, “when I noticed a green straw in her left hand, which is commonly used to inhale narcotics, based on my training and experience.

“The defendant appeared to be under the influence of a narcotic, based on her body language, pinpoint pupils, and lackadaisical body movements.

“I observed her place the straw back into a cigarette container, before she saw me standing behind her.”

At that point, the deputy “asked her where the green straw went, and she denied being in possession.”

But, the arrest report said, “Once I informed the defendant that I witnessed the straw in her possession, she stated she uses it to consume fentanyl.”

That’s when Lapham was arrested and the deputy reported finding “the green straw previously observed in her hand, inside the empty cigarette container. Inside the green straw, a small baggie of containing a white powdery substance was recovered. The green straw was field-tested with positive results for fentanyl. Due to the location of the bag of white powder being within the straw, and same characteristics as the powder tested within the straw, it was determined to be fentanyl.”

According to the arrest report, Lapham admitted “she utilizes fentanyl for personal consumption, and has been snorting it for approximately four months. The defendant stated she could no longer see a doctor, and has been purchasing fentanyl within Sumter County.”

Lapham was charged with possession of fentanyl and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Four months later, she changed her plea to no contest and was sentenced to 180 days in jail with credit for 122 days served, plus fines and other costs that have not been paid

Lapham was free on bail at the time. She had a lot going on in 2022.

Two months before that arrest, in February in nearby Marion County, Lapham was charged with grand theft $750 to $20,000, and uttering a forged instrument. Then, in September, she was arrested for failure to appear, but in October, prosecutors decided not to pursue the charges.

As for the situation outside the adult supercenter, deputies dated their affidavit March 11, which was more than a week after the encounter. Court records show it was filed months after that, on Aug. 12.

Lapham’s son’s name was not mentioned and nobody else with her last name was arrested that night. However, she does have a 30-year-old son who was arrested multiple times. Her name is listed on at least one of his arrest reports as his next of kin.

Then, it wasn’t until Jan. 5 that Lapham was arrested on a warrant for possession of drug paraphernalia in nearby Marion County.

She spent two days in jail there before she was returned to Sumter County, where she spent another 28 days behind bars, until her release in lieu of $500 bond. Lapham, 55, is due back in court to fight the misdemeanor charge on Feb. 18.