A Leesburg man who was pulled over for not wearing his seat belt was arrested after a large amount of marijuana was found in his vehicle.
Trevor J. Phelps, 31, of 205 Glenn St., was charged Feb. 27 with possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana. He was stopped near the intersection of West Main and Truett streets by a Leesburg Police officer who saw he didn’t have his seat belt on.
Asked for his license, registration and proof of insurance, Phelps said the vehicle was a rental, but he had his license in his possession. However, after searching for a few seconds, Phelps was unable to find the license. The officer asked him to step out of the vehicle, according to the police report.
The officer was able to confirm Phelps’ identity and saw that his license was not suspended and he didn’t have any warrants. Before allowing him to leave, the officer asked Phelps of there was anything that would be considered illegal in the vehicle. Phelps paused, looked back at the vehicle and said no, the report said.
Phelps gave the officer permission to search the vehicle. He said he smoked marijuana but there was not any in the car. While conducting the search, the officer detected the odor of burnt marijuana. Asked when he last smoked marijuana in the vehicle, Phelps said the previous day, according to the report.
During the search, the officer found a large plastic bag containing a green leafy substance that tested positive for marijuana. It was immediately apparent the bag contained more than 20 grams, and when placed on the scale, it weighed 126.3 grams, the report said.
After finding the marijuana, the officer said to Phelps, “I guess you forgot about that.” Phelps seemed to know what the officer meant because he replied, “It’s just weed.” No further contraband was found in the vehicle, according to the report.
Phelps was taken to the Lake County Jail, where he was released later that day on $2,000 bond. Phelps is scheduled to appear in Lake County Court on March 22.
