A Leesburg man was arrested for drug possession after police noticed his shaky hands during a traffic stop.
Police observed a silver Lincoln passenger car without taillights near Bay Street and Wilt Avenue at around 2:29 a.m. Thursday, according to an arrest report from the Eustis Police Department.
The officer pulled behind the driver, 50-year-old Travis Alger Heth, and initiated a traffic stop at Bay Street and McDonald Avenue, the report said.
The officer approached Heth from the driver’s side and explained the reason for the stop. He also asked Heth for this driver’s license and registration, to which he complied. Heth’s hands shook as he handed over his license, leading the officer to request for a K-9 officer, the report said.
The K-9 officer then arrived on scene and began an exterior walk of Heth’s Lincoln while the other officer returned to his patrol vehicle to run a background check. The K9 alerted on the vehicle, and both officers approached Heth to order him to step out, the report said.
A search of the vehicle resulted in the officers finding a glass pipe with a bubble on the end inside of a black backpack behind the driver’s seat, the report said. It appeared to have been used, and the officers suspected it was for the inhalation of methamphetamine.
Heth was then placed in handcuffs, the report said. He responded by invoking his rights and cursing at one of the officers.
Because there was no identification in or on the backpack, Heth was searched. An officer found a small black container in his left front pocket. Inside was a clear crystal-like substance suspected to be methamphetamine. Later, it tested positive for such, the report said.
As a result, Heth was escorted to the rear of the officer’s patrol vehicle. While being placed inside, he made several spontaneous utterances apologizing, stating he had been having a rough time, the report said.
In addition, a criminal history was completed and showed one prior drug charge in 1996, the report said.
Heth was charged with possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. He was transported to the Lake County Jail with bond set at $2,000.
