A Leesburg man with active warrants in several counties was apprehended in Groveland after a police K9 smelled drugs during a traffic stop.
Walter Joseph Tomon, 50, was charged with possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. He was a passenger in a vehicle stopped late Friday afternoon by an officer who suspected its window tinting was too dark, according to the Groveland Police arrest report.
The officer spoke with the female driver and explained the reason for the stop. He tested the tint, which was found to be lower than the statutory requirement. The driver did not give the officer consent to search her vehicle, the report said.
Tomon was very nervous and had shaky hands as the officer explained he would be retrieving his narcotics trained K9 to perform a free air sniff of the vehicle. The officer asked Tomon if he or the other rear passenger had an ID on them, and both said they did not, according to the report.
At that point, the backup officer was asked to continue the traffic portion of the stop by running a check on the driver. The arresting officer then approached the vehicle and deployed the K9 on the front bumper, the report said.
The K9 began its sweep in a counterclockwise direction and moved along the driver’s side. Once near the driver door seam, it immediately began breathing rapidly and came to its final alert of sit. This was an indication that the K9 was in the presence of a narcotic odor, according to the report.
The officer asked all parties to step out of the car while he performed a probable cause search. While patting down Tomon, the officer received permission from Toman to retrieve his wallet from his back pocket. When the officer opened the wallet, he saw a Florida ID card. Tomon confirmed it was his and was placed in handcuffs as the officer began searching inside his pockets, the report said.
The officer subsequently found a small baggie with a crystal-like substance that was consistent with that of methamphetamine. The officer also found small baggies of marijuana that belonged to Tomon, and he claimed to have his medical marijuana card. The last item found was a glass pipe with white crystal residue used for smoking meth, according to the report.
While searching the vehicle, the officer continued to find more of the crystal-like substance. Tomon informed the officer that all the meth found in the vehicle belonged to him. He also said he got nervous and tried to hide it because he did not want the officer to identify him as having multiple active warrants from both Lake and Polk Counties, the report said.
All the substances found during the vehicle search tested positive for methamphetamine. The driver and rear passenger were released at the scene. However, Toman was arrested and taken to the Lake County Jail, where his bond was set at $3,000.
