A Leesburg man was arrested for drug possession when he admitted to having methamphetamine tucked into a cupholder during a traffic stop near Amscot.
An officer observed occupants of a gray Chevy utility vehicle, one of which was later identified as 34-year-old Hykeem Dabreon Johnson, traveling northbound on U.S. Highway 441 near Perkins Street around 11:39 p.m. Sunday, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. The vehicle had an inoperable passenger-side taillight, and the license plate was registered to a vehicle with an expired registration as of May 4.
As a result, the officer turned on his emergency overhead lights to initiate a traffic stop. The vehicle turned into the parking lot of an Amscot, located at 1100 W. North Blvd., but did not immediately stop. Instead, it drove around the building, went over a curb, re-entered Perkins Street and then stopped, the report said.
The vehicle’s erratic behavior led the officer to quickly get out of his patrol car. As he approached, he heard yelling from inside the vehicle. He opened the rear passenger-side door to see three people in the back seat and one in the front passenger seat, the report said.
Notably, the driver’s seat was unoccupied, and the individual seated in the middle of the back seat was partially standing, appearing to have moved from the driver’s seat. The driver was positively identified and later arrested for driving while license suspended or revoked, the report said.
While speaking with the back right passenger, identified by his ID card as Johnson, the officer read his rights. He admitted there was methamphetamine in the back seat, specifically tucked into the foldable cupholder in the center seat. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed a small plastic baggie containing a white substance weighing about 0.24 grams. This tested positive for methamphetamine, the report said.
Johnson was then arrested and charged with possession of methamphetamine. He was transported to Lake County Jail and released after posting $2,500 bond.