A speeding Leesburg man found himself behind bars early Thursday morning after a Eustis Police officer reported seeing him traveling at 45 mph in 30-mph zone.
The officer got behind the white Ford van and watched the vehicle change lanes several times. The officer activated his emergency lights to initiative a traffic stop and then spoke with the driver, 33-year-old Aaron William Loesch, who said he was having a “rough day,” a police report states.
The officer reported smelling alcohol on Loesch’s breath and noticed he was speaking with slurred speech and had bloodshot and watery eyes. He asked Loesch to step out of the vehicle and he removed a white container from his left pocket and put it back inside the van. He claimed it was his sister’s medical marijuana and said he didn’t have a medical marijuana card and didn’t use hemp, the report says.
The officer opened the container and found a green leafy substance that he identified as marijuana. He also located a backpack in the front passenger seat that contained a wooden tobacco pipe and a multi-colored glass pipe that both had burnt marijuana residue on them, the report says.
The officer also reported finding a Nacho Cheese Doritos bag that had a logo stating it contained 600mg THC. The officer field-tested the Doritos inside the bag, which yielded a positive result for high-level THC, the report says, adding that officer also found a similar Cheetos Puffs bag with a THC label on it.
After being read his rights, Loesch said he didn’t have a medical marijuana card but claimed ownership of the backpack. He told the officer he “panicked” when he was stopped so he took his sister’s medical marijuana out of the backpack and put it in his pocket. Loesch also denied owning the bags of chips after being told they contained THC labels, the report says.
Loesch, who lives in the 33000 block of Dolores Court in Leesburg, was placed under arrest and transported to the Lake County Jail, where he was charged with possession of a controlled substance without a prescription (THC edibles), possession of cannabis less than 20 grams and possession and/or use of drug equipment. He was released early Thursday morning on $4,000 bond and is due in court May 10 at 8:30 a.m., jail records show.
