A Leesburg man was arrested after admitting to owning the drugs found on him and his female companion during a traffic stop.
Michael Deon Grant, 39, was charged with possession of cocaine shortly after he and his female companion were spotted in a dark Mercury SUV around midnight Tuesday, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
A deputy had stopped behind the pair at a traffic light on Thomas Avenue. As the light turned green and the SUV accelerated, the deputy could hear the exhaust was louder than manufactured and grew louder as it continued. He could also smell the distinct odor of burnt gasoline emitting from the vehicle, indicating the exhaust system was defective, the report said.
The deputy conducted a traffic stop at Griffin Road and Tally Box Avenue. The female driver and Grant identified themselves after the deputy explained the reason for the stop. However, the driver denied consent to search the vehicle, according to the report.
As the deputy completed a written warning to the driver, a K9 unit arrived to assist. An open-air sniff of the vehicle was then conducted, and the dog gave a positive alert on the front passenger-side door, the report said.
At that point, Grant and the driver were removed from the vehicle and searched. Grant gave consent to one of the deputies to retrieve an unknown object felt in the third pair of pants on the inside of Grant’s right leg. A metal container was found, inside of which was a white powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine. Grant was then detained, according to the report.
While searching the vehicle, deputies located a clear plastic bag containing a clear straw and white power inside a purse from the driver’s seat. This also tested positive for cocaine, the report said.
Grant spontaneously uttered that what was found inside the purse was his. When a deputy asked the driver about this, she said she takes Grant’s things and throws them in her purse while they are driving. She was unsure what could be in there, the report said.
Due to both Grant and the driver advising the substances belonged to him, he was the only one arrested. He was taken to the Lake County Jail with bond set at $2,000.
