A Lady Lake man and an Ocala woman were arrested on drug charges when law enforcement found wrapped and bagged meth in their possession.
An officer observed a white Ford pickup truck traveling southbound on U.S. Hwy. 27/441 at 12:25 a.m. Sunday, according to an arrest report from the Fruitland Park Police Department. As the vehicle passed, the officer noticed the front passenger window had tinting material that appeared to be darker than the legal limit and a white light coming from the third brake light. The license plate was also bent, distorting the last three characters of the plate.
The officer conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and met with the driver, 56-year-old Paul Joseph Beck, and front seat passenger, 37-year-old Alyse Marie Lazaro. He explained the reason for the stop and asked Beck for his license, which he gave without issue. Lazaro also provided her identification without issue, the report said.
The officer used a tint meter on the passenger side window, and it gave a digital readout of 18%. Another officer responded to assist, at which time she was asked to draft a written warning for the window tint violation. While she did so, the initial officer asked Beck and Lazaro to step out and stand in front of his patrol vehicle, the report said.
As Lazaro got out, the officer noticed an object in her bra. She immediately zipped up her jacket after getting out of the vehicle despite the temperature not being extremely cold, the report said.
A K-9 was then deployed to conduct an open-air sniff on the outside of the vehicle. Upon coming to the passenger side door, the K-9 positively alerted to the odor of narcotics coming from within the vehicle. Based on this, a probable cause search of its interior began, the report said.
The officer found a clear smoking device with a white cloudy residue between the front passenger seat and center console. The device appeared to be free of dirt or debris, and it was positioned in a manner that made it easily accessible to Lazaro. It also seemed to be freshly placed, the report said.
Inside the center console was a clear cellophane wrapper with a burnt end to seal it and a clear crystalline residue within. The officer believed the device to be used for consuming methamphetamine, and the cellophane contained it, the report said.
Based on the contraband discovered in the vehicle, the officer conducted a probable cause search of Beck. He found a clear cellophane wrapper containing a clear crystalline substance in his front right watch pocket. The wrapper had a burnt end, identical to the one found in the center console, the report said.
Beck was subsequently detained and asked to sit on the tailgate of his vehicle. While there, he stated Lazano had sent him a message on his phone about possible contraband. The glass smoking device did not belong to him, and he was not aware that the crystalline substance was in his pocket. However, he did acknowledge it was in his possession, the report said.
Beck also stated that while he and Lazano were standing in front of the patrol vehicle, she sent him a text message asking him to take ownership of the contraband on her person if it was located. He allowed the officer to look at the messages on his phone, and they were as he described, the report said.
Due to the smoking device being in the direct vicinity of Lazano and her being the only one in control of it at the time of the stop, she was handcuffed. The officer explained she was being arrested and would receive another charge if she brought hidden contraband into jail. After several minutes of conversation, she admitted to having contraband in her bra, the report said.
An officer then removed two plastic baggies from Lazano’s left breast area, both containing a clear crystalline substance. She stated the baggies were in the center console area, and when they were stopped, she grabbed them and put them in her bra, the report said.
The clear crystalline substances later tested positive for methamphetamine, the report said.
Beck was charged with possession of methamphetamine and transported to Lake County Jail. The Ohio native was released after posting $2,500 bond.
Lazano was charged with possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. The New York native was taken to jail with bond set at $3,500.