A Leesburg man with two prior drug arrests landed back in the Lake County Jail after he reportedly tried to keep a police officer from finding his methamphetamine by dropping it on the ground and stomping on it.
Steven David Shahan, 52, of 67 Herald Drive, was charged early Friday with possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), possession of drug paraphernalia, and tampering with physical evidence. He was previously charged with possession of meth and paraphernalia in September 2020 and possession of cocaine in October 2017.
Shortly before 1 a.m., a Leesburg police officer saw Shahan and another man on bicycles in front of a known drug house on North Truett Street. As the bicyclists noticed the officer, they quickly rode east on High Street and then north on Oakland Street to a wooded dead end. This portion of Oakland Street has a well-worn bicycle/foot path that goes out to Center Street. The officer observed that neither bicycle had illuminated rear lighting as required by law, according to the police report.
The officer circled around and saw the pair as they were turning from Center Street onto McCormack Street. The officer conducted a traffic stop for the missing rear lights, the report said.
While talking to the men, the officer observed that Shahan was extremely nervous. He was shaking, fidgeting and had trouble standing still. The officer walked to his patrol car to call in the men’s information to police dispatch. While he was walking to the car, the officer saw Shahan remove a cigarette package from his pocket and drop several items on the ground. Shahan then lit a cigarette that was in his mouth and started stomping around as if he was trying to cut something, according to the report.
When the officer returned to the men, he saw what appeared to be a freshly ground crystal substance at Shahan’s feet. The substance later tested positive for methamphetamine, the report said.
The officer asked Shahan about the substance and Shahan didn’t know what the officer was referring to. He said he had nothing illegal on him and gave permission for the officer to search him. During the search, the officer found a glass “bubble” in the left-side cargo pocket in Shahan’s shorts. The bubble had burnt residue in it, according to the report.
In Shahan’s right-side cargo pocket, the officer found a red transparent baggie containing a substance that matched what Shahan dropped onto the ground. The officer recovered as much of the substance as possible from the ground and ended up with .08 grams of what also tested positive for meth, the report said.
Shahan was arrested and booked at the Leesburg Police Department before being taken jail. He’s currently being held on $5,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Lake County Court on June 20.
