Parents and students were startled by a man hiding in the bushes at The Villages Elementary of Lady Lake.
Officers responded to the school at about 8 a.m. Tuesday to investigate a report of a suspicious person. They found 41-year-old Ian Uriah Rickman walking near the school.
An officer asked Rickman if he had been hiding in the bushes and he admitted he had, claiming he sought refuge there after arguing with his wife, according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department.
Rickman, who has a long history of arrests, was found to be in possession of 2.1 grams of methamphetamine and a glass pipe. He admitted he has a “drug issue” and claimed he wants to seek help through the court system.
He was arrested on charges of drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was booked at the Lake County Jail on $5,000 bond.
