Fentanyl found on man who paid visit to known drug house

A Fruitland Park man was arrested for possession of fentanyl when he was stopped leaving his residence, a place known for narcotic use and distribution.

An officer observed a white Chevrolet van traveling south on College Avenue with no tag lamp at 8:54 p.m. Sunday Feb. 23, according to an arrest report from the Fruitland Park Police Department. He maneuvered behind the vehicle and confirmed it did not have a working tag lamp. 

The officer subsequently conducted a traffic stop as the vehicle pulled into the driveway of a home on College Avenue. He approached and observed the passenger side door open as 44-year-old Daniel Thomas Dixon tried to get out. The officer ordered him back into the vehicle, the report said. 

The report noted the officer had prior knowledge of the home being popular with the use and distribution of narcotics. Because of this, he asked for consent to search the vehicle and was met with a unanimous “no.” He informed the occupants he would be deploying his K-9 partner around the vehicle. 

The K-9 gave a positive indication of the presence of narcotics inside the vehicle, which led the officer to searching it. He then found a blue piece of melted plastic containing suspected narcotic residue. This blue “pipe” was in the vehicle’s center cupholder where all three occupants had access and control. He also found a cut straw in the cargo area that contained suspected narcotic residue, indicating it was used to ingest narcotics through the nose, the report said. 

The officer next searched Dixon’s person. He started with his right front pant pocket, but as he approached the left pant pocket, he noticed Dixon becoming increasingly nervous. He took his left hand off the patrol vehicle despite being ordered to keep his hands there, the report said. 

Still, the officer found a plastic baggie that had been tied in a knot in the left pocket. Inside the knot portion was a white powdered substance suspected of being fentanyl. As the officer took it out of the pocket, Dixon stated the pants he was wearing did not belong to him and that he had just gotten out of the shower, the report said. 

The suspected fentanyl later yielded a positive result for such. During a conversation with Dixon, he stated, “You know what goes on here,” referring to the narcotic use at his residence, the report said. 

Dixon was arrested for possession of fentanyl and transported to the Lake County Jail. He was released after posting $2,500 bond.