A Leesburg man and a Fruitland Park woman were arrested on drug and concealed weapon charges after police searched their vehicle during a traffic stop.
Police observed a white Chevrolet sedan leaving a Circle K gas station on 100 West Miller Street at 11:50 p.m. Saturday, according to arrest reports from the Fruitland Park Police Department. As the vehicle left the parking lot, it did not come to a complete stop before entering the roadway on North Dixie Avenue.
The officer initiated a traffic stop and met with the occupants of the vehicle, the reports said. The driver, 43-year-old Robert Lloyd Bush, stated he did not have a valid license but that his ID was in the back inside of a backpack. The officer noticed the passenger, 22-year-old Emily Marlene Krauthamer, did not have a seatbelt on and asked her for identification, too.
While speaking to the pair, the officer smelled the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. Both occupants denied having a medical marijuana card and originally stated they did not use any form of the drug. They would later state they both smoked Marijuana but had not done so recently, the reports said.
Both occupants also denied having anything illegal inside of the vehicle, the reports said. However, based on the officer’s investigation up to that point, probable cause was established to search the vehicle’s interior.
As Krauthamer exited the vehicle, she informed the officer that she had several needles inside of a purple pouch inside of her purse located on the front passenger floorboard. Inside of the pouch, the officer found two capped syringes accompanied by several empty plastic baggies, the reports said.
Also in the purse was a black wallet, which was found to contain a separate syringe that was not capped, the reports said. A digital scale was found, as well.
The officer removed a backpack from the backseat area of the vehicle that was found to contain Bush’s wallet and ID, the reports said. The backpack also had a cloth bag that contained broken pieces of a glass pipe used to smoke methamphetamine.
This discovery prompted the officer to approach Bush with the intention of placing him in handcuffs. However, he tensed his muscles in an effort to prevent his arrest. The officer directed Bush to the patrol vehicle to aid in detaining him, but he continued to tense his muscles. The officer told Bush he would be tazed if he did not comply, at which point he relaxed and was placed into handcuffs, the reports said.
A further search of the vehicle revealed a stripped bag positioned between the front seats that contained several articles of female clothes as well as female hygiene and beauty products. Inside the bag, the officer found a small plastic baggie containing white powder suspected to be either heroin or fentanyl, the reports said.
Krauthamer was placed into handcuffs at that time, the reports said.
The officer then looked under the driver’s seat of the vehicle and found a pair of black and green metallic knuckles. Due to the location, the officer had reason to believe that Bush had immediate access to them. The item is considered a concealed weapon in Florida, the reports said.
Krauthamer was asked if the previously discovered striped bag was hers, to which she said yes. She stated she could not identify the powder in the bag, but she had picked up several different items from her couch prior to leaving her house and did not know what was in there. She admitted to using heroin and said the powder could be fentanyl. The gram of powder tested positive for fentanyl, the reports said.
Bush was then asked about the glass pipe found inside his backpack, the reports said. He advised that it was his but that he did not know what it was used for. A test of the pipe resulted in a positive result for methamphetamine.
Both Bush and Krauthamer were arrested at the conclusion of the officer’s investigation. Bush was charged with knowingly driving while his license was suspended, possession of drug paraphernalia and carrying a concealed weapon. He was transported to the Lake County Jail and released after posting $3,000 bond.
Krauthamer was charged with possession of fentanyl and drug paraphernalia. She was also taken to jail and released after posting $3,000 bond.
