A Leesburg man stopped in Howey-in-the-Hills for playing his music too loud was arrested after police found two mason jars containing 65 grams of marijuana in the center console of his vehicle.
At around 6 p.m. Friday, a Howey police officer on routine patrol on County Road 48 near State Road 19 pulled up behind and alongside a vehicle playing loud music. The officer could hear the music more than 25 feet away with the patrol car windows up, according to the police report.
After the light changed, the officer conducted a traffic stop and spoke with the driver – 34-year-old Jared Scott Patrick, of 34309 Shadewood Circle in Leesburg. Patrick asked if he was stopped because of his music and the officer said yes, the report said.
While speaking with Patrick, the officer noticed a strong smell of burnt marijuana coming from within the vehicle. When asked about it, Patrick said he rolled a blunt and smoked it in the vehicle before going to work. Asked if he had a medical marijuana card, Patrick said he did not. Asked if he had any marijuana in the vehicle, Patrick said he did and handed the officer a partially burnt blunt that later tested positive for marijuana, according to the report.
Patrick was placed under arrest and officers searched his vehicle. In the center console was a black zippered bag containing two clear glass mason jars containing a green leafy substance. Also in the black bag was a grinder with green leafy material inside it, along with a zip-lock bag containing more plastic bags, a lighter, and a silver scale, the report said.
The green leafy substance tested positive for marijuana. One mason jar contained 25 grams and the other contained 60 grams. Patrick told the officers he bought the marijuana for about $400, according to the report.
Patrick was charged with possession of 65 grams of marijuana and taken to the Lake County Jail, where he was released on $2,000 bond later Friday night. Patrick will appear in Lake County Court on Aug. 15.
