A Leesburg man was arrested for having a gun and ammo as felon when an officer found bullets and Glock in his vehicle.
A deputy observed a red 2001 GMC pass a vehicle on the right side of the road onto the grass as the vehicle was trying to make a left turn near Thomas Avenue and Virgina Drive around 1:53 p.m. Tuesday, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. At that point, the deputy made a traffic stop.
Upon approaching the driver, identified as 34-year-old Joseph Edwin Alvarez, he provided the deputy with the necessary information relating to the traffic stop. The deputy asked for consent to search the entirety of the vehicle to which he denied consent due to the vehicle being his mother’s and not his, the report said.
The deputy then ran an investigative check on Alvarez which revealed he was a habitual traffic offender. He was subsequently removed from the vehicle, detained and placed in the back of the patrol vehicle, the report said.
The deputy requested a K-9 unit to assist with the traffic stop, and a handler from the Leesburg Police Department responded to the scene to conduct a free-air sniff on the vehicle with his K-9. It positively alerted on the vehicle, at which point the deputy searched it, the report said.
A black Nike bag was found in the rear passenger seat of the vehicle. The contents of the bag included one box of 50 9mm rounds, a Glock magazine with 17 9mm rounds inside it, a frame of a handgun and a fishing lure. As the deputy continued, a slide to the handgun that was located in the Nike bag was found in the middle of the passenger seat and the center console of the vehicle tucked away as if it was trying to be hidden, the report said.
The deputy then spoke with the female passenger who advised that the black Nike bag was not hers or Alvarez’. She stated the bag must be his mother’s due to the vehicle being hers and them having it for only one day. The report noted the passenger was on a phone call with Alvarez’ mother, who was the registered owner of the vehicle, throughout the entirety of the traffic stop.
Contact was made with the registered owner at her address by other deputies. She advised that Alvarez had been in possession of the vehicle for two days, the report said.
The deputy read Alvarez his rights, but he chose not to speak. The report noted that when he first made contact with Alvarez, he stated he had been fishing all day and was headed home from doing so. He also showed the deputy fishing poles placed on the roof of the vehicle.
Throughout the search of the vehicle, the deputy found multiple items that belonged to a male and were clearly inside of that vehicle for a long time. The items indicated Alvarez had the vehicle for longer than the passenger or his mother had claimed. Due to Alvarez telling the deputy he had been fishing that day and him finding the fishing lure with the handgun and ammo, Alvarez was ultimately put in constructive possession of the items, the report said.
Additionally, a criminal history check of Alvarez showed he was a convicted felon, the report said.
Alvarez was ultimately arrested on charges of possession of ammo by convicted felon and possession of firearm by convicted felon. He was also issued a citation for driving while his license was revoked as a habitual offender. He was transported to Lake County Jail with bond set at $20,000.