Bond revoked for man accused of possession of methamphetamine

A Eustis man was arrested on a Lake County warrant on an order to revoke bond for possession of methamphetamine. 

Steven Kasey Jenkins, 35, was transported from Marion County Jail on Tuesday morning for a case involving narcotics possession from last November. 

On the evening of Nov. 10, 2023, an officer was parked on Wilt Avenue facing North Bay Street observing traffic traveling southbound, according to an arrest report from the Eustis Police Department. He observed a Chevy truck spray painted black going past his location with a window tint so dark he could not see inside at all. Once the vehicle passed, the officer saw a metal gate obstructing the license plate. 

The officer caught up to the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop at South Bay Street and Ward Avenue. He made contact with the driver, later identified as Jenkins, and explained the reason for the traffic stop, the report said. 

Jenkins provided his license, which was shown to be have been suspended four times in July and August of that year. The officer also ran the license plate attached to the vehicle and learned its registration expired on Aug. 8, 2023, the report said. 

The front seat passenger was also identified using his license. During this time, the officer noticed he was jittery and appeared to be under the influence of a narcotic. He also observed Jenkins’ hands to be shaking, the report said. 

The officer proceeded to use a tint meter on the front and back windows of the vehicle. The front windows had a reading of 5%, and the back window had a reading of 12%. The legal limit for front windows is 25% and 15% for back windows, the report said. 

While the officer was completing paperwork, a K9 unit arrived on scene. He walked his K9 partner around the vehicle, and there was a positive alert giving probable cause to search the vehicle. As such, the officer had Jenkins exit the vehicle, the report said. 

Jenkins asked if he could take his cell phone, and the officer told him to leave everything inside the vehicle. He placed his cell phone on the driver seat, and he and the passenger stood by with another officer while the vehicle was searched. The passenger uttered that there was CBD marijuana inside an eyeglass pouch on his seat, the report said. 

Inside the pouch, there were two rubber containers with a tan wax-like substance inside. There was also a pre-rolled CBD marijuana cigarette and a vape pen with brown oil inside. The two wax-like substances tested positive for high THC. The vape pen and cigarette tested positive for CBD marijuana, the report said. 

When the officer moved the cell phone that Jenkins placed on the seat, he observed a clear plastic bag with a crystallized substance inside. He recognized it as methamphetamine, which later tested positive for such. Nothing else of value was found inside the vehicle, the report said. 

The officer then secured Jenkins and the passenger in handcuffs. While Jenkins refused to answer questions, the passenger advised he got the CBD marijuana from a local store. He bought it all together and thought they were all CBD. The passenger had no knowledge of the methamphetamine found inside the vehicle. He was released on scene, and the officer took the wax-like substances as found property, the report said. 

Due to finding the methamphetamine on the driver’s seat, Jenkins was placed under arrest for possession of methamphetamine. He was also issued citations for DWLS without knowledge, expired registration less than six months and illegal window tint.