DeLand Police Arrest Woman Who Admitted To Using Drugs While Pregnant

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DeLand, FL - A woman in DeLand, who admitted to using drugs while pregnant, is arrested. DeLand police responded to the Dollar General at 1512 South Woodland Boulevard at around 2:30 p.m. yesterday after reports of a suspicious four-door Chevy that had been out in the parking lot for about two hours. There were three people in the Chevy, and the owner of the car gave police permission to search the car. 32-year-old Lauren Koch, of Deltona, was sitting in the back seat, and officers asked to search her purse, which was within arm's reach. Five syringes and a black spoon containing a white powdery substance were found in her purse. Koch admitted that the powdery substance was the opioid Dilaudid. The other two people in the car were issued trespass warnings, and they left the parking lot, and Koch was arrested. Koch later told officers that methamphetamines were in one of the syringes that were found in her purse and that the other syringes and the spoon were used for Dilaudid, according to arrest reports. Koch also revealed that she was about two or three months pregnant and that she had been using the drugs during that time. One of the syringes tested positive for methamphetamines, and the substance on the spoon tested positive for "special opiates." Koch was charged with child abuse to her unborn baby and two felony drug offenses. She was held on a total of $8,000 bond. Koch's mugshot courtesy of Volusia County Branch Jail.