LEESBURG, FL – Shortly after midnight, on Saturday morning, Officers Hobbs and Heuser were conducting covert surveillance at a local hotel, as part of an ongoing anti-crime detail during the Holiday season. While there, they observed a suspicious vehicle circling the parking lot and requested a marked unit to make contact with the occupant. Before the marked car arrived, the occupant parked and went inside the hotel, which provided the detail officers and the responding officer an opportunity to further investigate the now parked vehicle.
In plain view, they observed what appeared to be cocaine and marijuana inside small plastic baggies in the console area of the car. As a result of their observation, they made contact with, and identified, the occupant inside the hotel. A check of his license revealed a suspended DL and an acknowledgement to the drugs seen inside the car. The occupant was detained and a further search of the car revealed a .357 Magnum revolver, which was reported stolen out of Mt Dora in July of this year.
The suspect was ultimately charged with DWLS, possession of cocaine/marijuana, and possession of the stolen handgun.