A Leesburg man was arrested after a bag of marijuana and a gun were found in his car.
Police spotted a white Dodge Durango driving on U.S. Hwy. 27 at 11:19 p.m. Saturday, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. While stopped behind the vehicle at a light, the officer ran the tag and discovered the driver, 29-year-old Eric Lee Hall, was wanted on a warrant out of Volusia County for attempting to evade police at high speeds.
Hall pulled into a CVS parking lot and backed out eastbound onto Griffin Road. The officer then began to follow Hall. While behind his vehicle, the officer watched Hall run a red light, the report said.
The officer was able to catch up to Hall near Center Street and got him to stop in the Deluxe Motel parking lot, the report said. However, Hall pulled free from the officer attempting to secure him and began to flee on foot.
An officer deployed a taser at Hall and struck him in the back, causing him to fall to the ground. Once Hall was secured, the taser probes were removed. EMS personnel were called to the scene due to Hall’s fall on pavement and statements saying he did not feel well. He was cleared at the scene, the report said.
During this time, officers searched Hall’s vehicle, the report said. A plastic bag of suspected marijuana was found near the center console in plain sight. Inside the console was a smoking device for narcotics. Under the driver’s seat, a Glock 9mm semi auto handgun with a loaded magazine was found. A black fanny bag with a second loaded magazine and a loose round was found under front driver’s seat.
While the firearm was not stolen, officers discovered Hall had a felony conviction for occupied burglary and principal to grand theft from May 2012. He also had license suspensions for failure to pay financial obligations dating back to 2013, the report said.
Hall was arrested and charged with resisting without violence, possession of marijuana, possession of paraphernalia, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and knowingly driving while his license was suspended. He was transported to the Lake County Jail after completing the booking process. Bond was set at $40,000.
