A Fruitland Park woman and Lady Lake man were arrested on drug charges after the vehicle the man was driving got pulled over for having a headlight out.
Salysha Nicole McCarty, 30, was charged with possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) without a prescription, possession of a harmful new legend drug without a prescription, and possession of drug equipment. Tyler Mark Pair, 33, was charged with possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, driving with a revoked license (habitual offender), and violating his probation for a prior domestic battery case.
Shortly after midnight Thursday, a Fruitland Park police officer was traveling north on Picciola Road and observed a white vehicle traveling south with only one headlight. The officer conducted a traffic stop near the intersection of Picciola Cutoff Road and Black Bass Circle. Neither the driver nor any of the three passengers possessed any identification. The officer requested that the Leesburg Police Department send a K9 unit to the call, according to the police report.
The officer eventually determined the driver’s name was Tyler Mark Pair and he was driving on a revoked license and is a habitual offender, the report said.
The K9 officer arrived and conducted an open-air search of the vehicle. The dog gave a positive alert for the presence of narcotics. The occupants were asked to step out of the car and each were patted down for weapons and asked to stand in front of the patrol car, according to the report.
During the search, a blue plastic bag with a white crystalized substance was found next to McCarty’s seat and among her personal belongings. The substance tested positive for methamphetamine. In McCarty’s purse was a clear plastic syringe with a needle and no cap containing draw-back blood. Asked why she had the needle, McCarty told the officer, “Because I shoot up,” the report said.
Also found in McCarty’s purse was an orange pill bottle containing pills. Using an online pill identifier, the officer determined one pill was ibuprofen and the other bill was a new legend drug known as Trazodone Hydrochloride, according to the report.
In the footing area of the driver’s seat – where Pair had been sitting – was a blue plastic bag containing a white powdery substance that tested positive for fentanyl, the report said.
McCarty and Pair were arrested and taken to the Lake County Jail, where they’re being held on $5,000 and $4,000 bond, respectively. Pair will appear in Lake County Court on May 18, while McCarty’s time in front of the judge is scheduled for May 23.
