Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A 39-year-old woman named Jennifer Jean Reeder was taken into custody yesterday after patrons at Bass Pro Shops expressed concerns about her behavior. They noticed she was accompanied by a young child, struggled to walk steadily, and seemed to be speaking to herself.

At approximately 7:51 p.m. on December 15, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy was dispatched to the Bass Pro Shops located at 2650 Bass Pro Shops Boulevard. Upon arrival, both customers and employees informed the deputy about a woman with a child who was having difficulty maintaining her balance and was talking to herself.

The deputy approached Reeder, who admitted she had come to the store with her child to visit Santa Claus and had ingested two Klonopin pills. The deputy noticed a plastic bag, typically associated with storing illegal substances, visible in the center console of her vehicle.

Reeder reportedly explained to the deputy that she intended to return home with her daughter, but her vehicle wouldn’t start.

Reeder reportedly gave consent for a search of her vehicle, and the search reportedly produced 0.2 grams of methamphetamine and two unlabeled prescription bottles containing Klonopin pills, but the bag that had been in the center console was not found. The deputy noted that the bag containing the methamphetamine and the prescription bottles were easily accessible to the child.

Post Miranda, Reeder reportedly said the drugs were “ice,” and she gave the deputy two glass pipes and a plastic bag of a substance she identified as “crack”; the bag reportedly contained 1.1 grams of a substance that tested positive for cocaine.

Reeder has been charged with child neglect without great bodily harm, four counts of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Her full criminal history is unavailable, but locally, she has at least 24 felony convictions for theft and fraud charges from over 10 years ago and a misdemeanor conviction for possession of drug paraphernalia from March 2025. Judge Jonathan Ramsey set bail at $42,000 on the new charges.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.