Stolen car found at rest stop with meth inside

Man, woman arrested at rest stop on I-95 near mile marker 331

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Police arrested two people at a rest stop Wednesday after finding methamphetamine in the stolen car they were driving, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office said.

At around 5:23 a.m., an officer spotted a suspicious car with a Pennsylvania license plate at a rest stop on Interstate 95 at mile marker 331. When the officer ran the plate, he found that the car was reported stolen.

When the officer approached the car, Dave Bearce, 32, and Katie Ellsworth, 29, tried to flee, officials said. The deputy said he had to shatter one of the car’s windows to stop them.

When the officer searched the car, he found meth and meth-making ingredients, officials said.

The fire department, as well as the sheriff's office meth team, blocked the rest stop for several hours to make sure the area was safe, while hazmat crews cleaned up, officials said.

Bearce and Ellsworth were driving from Pennsylvania down to South Florida and were not only making meth but using it during the drive, Sgt. Mike Hartsell said. 

"They made it while driving, from what it looks like, and then they put the solution back into their bottles," Hartsell said. "So it looks like they used up all their finished product. So they are driving down the road using meth."

Bearce and Ellsworth have been decontaminated and taken to jail, officials said.