A Leesburg man picked up on a warrant recently also faces new drug and gun charges.
Shortly after 10 a.m. Tuesday, a Leesburg Police officer saw a man matching the description of 27-year-old  Samuel Micheal McCook III, who had an active warrant for possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, driving a black Honda Civic. The license tag number was given to dispatch, who could not identify it in the computer records system, according to the police report.
The officer conducted a traffic stop on Griffin Road and confirmed the driver was McCook, who lives at 420 Mills St. #41. The officer ran the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and it came back registered to a friend of McCook, the report said.
McCook told the officer he had a gun between the driver’s seat and the center console. He said he had the gun for his protection. The gun was not secure and not easily visible, according to the report.
McCook was placed under arrest for the warrant and the officer searched the vehicle. The gun was a black Smith and Wesson Shield 9mm with eight rounds of ammunition loaded in the magazine. Dispatch advised the officer that McCook had a prior felony conviction in October 2015 for possession of a controlled substance, the report said.
The officer took McCook to the police station for booking. While there, McCook was searched and the officer found a bag in his pocket containing 20 grams of cannabis, according to the report.
McCook was charged with possession of a weapon and ammunition by a convicted Florida felon, carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, driving with a suspended license and possession of less than 20 grams of cannabis, along with the warrants for failing to appear in court on charges of driving without a valid license and possession of less than 20 grams of cannabis, the report said.
McCook was taken to the Lake County Jail, where he was still being held Monday on $17,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in Lake County Court on April 7.
