A Leesburg man was arrested after a large number of illicit pills were found in his Lexus.
An officer responded to a car stopped in the road at the corner of Longview and Morningside Avenues around 10:25 p.m. Wednesday, March 5, according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department.
Upon arrival, officers with the Fruiltand Park Police Department were out with the vehicle and the driver, 21-year-old Bryce Thomas Howard. The officer learned that when the FPPD got to the scene, Howard was out of the vehicle and showing signs of manic behavior. He went in and out of his vehicle multiple times, the report said.
An officer proceeded to talk to Howard who showed signs of impairment. He was confused and unable to determine where he was or why he was in the area. He advised that he had driven to the area and was not sure why he had to stop the vehicle, the report said.
Howard was in possession of the key, and the vehicle, a 2006 Lexus SUV, was registered to him. As the officer spoke with him, a K-9 unit conducted a free-air sniff around the outside of the vehicle and positively alerted to the presence of narcotics, the report said.
Howard’s vehicle was subsequently searched, leading to the discovery of a tan backpack in the back seat. It contained two unlabeled bottles with white pills. There was also a traffic citation from the LPD with his name on it for committing a speeding violation, the report said.
The pills were later identified as Xanax. There were 28 pills weighing 7 grams in an orange bottle and 15 pills weighing 4.9 grams in a clear bottle, the report said.
Howard was arrested on charge of possession of Xanax (trafficking). He was transported to Lake County Jail and released after posting $2,500 bond.
He was also arrested in February after stuffing his pockets with stolen merchandise from Walmart.