A Leesburg man was arrested early Sunday morning on a drug trafficking charge at a hotel in Clermont.
A Clermont officer was on patrol in the parking lot of the Woodspring Suites motel when he noticed three men in a vehicle parked at the rear of the hotel complex. As the officer drove past the car the men attempted to crouch down so the officer would not see them. When the officer parked his patrol car and walked towards the car he saw the man, later identified as 25-year-old Octavus Jaleel Potts, sitting behind the steering wheel, jump over the center console into the rear seat.
The officer asked Potts why he had changed seats. Potts said the car belonged to his wife and stumbled over his words, according to the arrest report. The officer could smell the odor of burnt marijuana coming from the car. The officer could see several small burnt marijuana cigarettes in the ash tray. When other officers arrived on the scene, Potts and the other men were removed from the vehicle which the police then searched. The officers found a red bucket next to where Potts was sitting which contained three large translucent bags which contained 182.5 grams of marijuana. Also found was a controlled substance, MDMA which weighed 14.8 grams. Also found in the center console was a loaded pistol magazine which Potts claimed belonged to a friend.
Potts was arrested for trafficking a controlled substance, MDMA, and possession of more than 20 grams of cannabis. A records check revealed that Potts had been convicted of a felony drug charge and was therefore charged with possession of ammunition by a convicted felon.
Potts was transported to the Lake County Jail where he posted $3,000 bond and was released.
He was arrested earlier this year on a driving offense.
He was arrested this past December, claiming he had just left a cemetery.
