Tinted windows led to the arrest of Leesburg man on a weapons charge late Monday night.
A Leesburg police officer was on traffic patrol on 14th Street when he spotted a red Cadillac with what appeared to be unlawfully tinted side windows. When the Cadillac pulled into the 7-Eleven at 737 South 14th St., the officer put on his emergency lights and initiated a traffic stop.
The officer made contact with the driver, 48-year-old Anthony Lenoris Lowe and a front seat passenger. The officer could smell the strong odor of burnt marijuana coming from the interior of the car as he talked to the driver. While using a certified tint meter to check the windows another officer arrived on the scene and made contact with the passenger.
After checking the window tint, the officer issued Lowe a warning ticket for the window tint and asked Lowe if he had anything illegal in his car. Lowe said he had nothing illegal in the car. The officer told Lowe that he could smell burnt marijuana in the car and had both men get out of the car.
When the passenger got out of the car he was asked by an officer for his name. He ran from the scene after giving the officer a false name, according to the arrest report.
During the search of the car the officers found two marijuana “roaches”and a small amount of loose marijuana on the front passenger side floor board. A loaded Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol was found in the front center console. A records check revealed that Lowe has a previous felony conviction and is on probation for a previous conviction for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Lowe told the officer that the pistol belonged to the passenger and that he only knew the passenger by his street name, “Man.”
Lowe was arrested on a charge of possession of a firearm by a felon and for a probation violation. The Atlanta native was taken to the Lake County Jail where he was booked without bond.
