A Wildwood man with a criminal record was arrested after a loaded 9mm handgun was found in his vehicle when he was stopped in Leesburg for not wearing a seatbelt.
Xavier Trent Parker, 34, of 74 E. County Road 462, was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, resisting an officer/obstruction without violence, and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.
At around 1:45 p.m. Friday, a Leesburg police officer saw a black Nissan Rouge traveling north on Moss Street, passing West Line Street. The officer could clearly see that the driver, later identified as Parker, was leaning forward and not wearing a seatbelt. The vehicle turned left onto Cedar Street and made a quick right onto Oakland Street, which is a dead-end road, according to the police report.
The officer initiated a traffic stop but Parker kept driving and tried to make a three-point turn at the dead end. As police patrol vehicles blocked him heading back out on Oakland Street, Parker was making “furtive” movements and looking repeatedly at officers. Officers gave verbal instructions for Parker to stop the vehicle, but he did not comply and kept the window up, the report said.
Parker refused to put the car in park. He reached into his waistband, then into the center console area. Fearing Parker was reaching for a gun, officers drew their firearms and ordered him not to reach, according to the report.
While Parker was continuing to refuse orders, the front passenger door opened and a black male passenger started getting out of the vehicle. Officers told him to stay in the vehicle, and the passenger appeared to hesitate before sitting back down. Once the passenger was back in the vehicle, Parker was seen looking towards him and saying something. The passenger got out of the vehicle again while Parker continued reaching around in the center console and looking around like he was seeking a way to leave, the report said.
Officers ordered the passenger to step away from the vehicle so he wouldn’t be struck or injured if Parker fled. Parker continued to look around and reached around inside the vehicle. At one point he leaned towards the passenger seat while reaching in the same area where the passenger had been sitting, according to the report.
Eventually, Parker became slightly compliant, turned the vehicle off and placed his hands in the air. He followed commands to get out of the car. Meanwhile a K-9 unit did a free-air sniff of the vehicle and gave a positive alert for the presence of narcotics. No drugs were found, but on the passenger-side front floorboard was a Taurus Millennium 9mm handgun that was fully loaded with a dozen 9mm full metal jacket rounds and another round in the chamber, the report said.
A criminal records search showed Parker has 14 felony convictions. He told officers he didn’t know anything about the gun and became agitated when asked for further details about it. At one point he said he wanted officers to just take him to jail, according to the report.
The passenger said he was just getting a ride from Parker and doesn’t know him very well. He said when the traffic stop was being conducted, he got out of the car because Parker was telling him to get out. The passenger said the only thing Parker said was, “I have a license.” He said he didn’t see any firearms in the vehicle and said his fingerprints wouldn’t be on any guns found in the car, the report said.
In addition to the gun charge, Parker was charged with resisting without violence because he refused lawful commands and tampering with evidence because it is believed he placed the firearm on the passenger side to place possession with the other man, according to the report.
Parker was taken to the Leesburg Police Department for booking before being taken to the Lake County Jail. While being booked, he asked how he was charged with possessing the firearm if it was on the other person’s side. Officers noted that Parker was never told where the gun was found and said he didn’t see the passenger place anything in the area. Therefore, the only way he would have known where the firearm was located was if he had placed it there himself, the report said.
Parker was released from jail after posting $13,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Lake County Court at 8:30 a.m. May 9.
