A Leesburg man was arrested after his nervous behavior during a traffic stop led to the discovery of a syringe full of fentanyl.
An officer observed the driver of a blue Buick sedan, later identified as 53-year-old Douglas Gilbert Karst, speeding faster than the other vehicles in traffic on U.S. Highway 27/441 around 6:46 p.m. Thursday, according to an arrest report from the Fruitland Park Police Department.
The officer saw the occupants continuously looking back in the direction of his vehicle. At the same time, they made furtive movements around the vehicle, causing the Buick to drift into the left lane multiple times. The officer aligned his patrol vehicle with the Buick so both vehicles were traveling at th same speed for about a quarter of a mile, the report said.
The officer paced the Buick at 54mph in a 45-mph zone. As a result, he conducted a traffic stop using emergency lights. The vehicle went past several driveways and parking lots that had ample space to pull over, but it continued on with its turn signal on before finally stopping, the report said.
The vehicle significantly obstructed the roadway, so the officer asked Karst to come to a stop in a parking lot of a former Mattress Firm, located at 3460 U.S. Hwy. 27/441, to which he complied. Upon approaching the vehicle, the officer observed Karst and the female passenger to show nervous behaviors like shaky movements, fidgeting and excessive sweating despite being inside an air-conditioned car, the report said.
Based on this behavior, the officer asked for consent to search the vehicle. Karst gave his consent, and both occupants were removed from the vehicle, the report said.
During the search, the officer found several pen tubes containing a brown, burnt residue on the passenger seat and between the center console and the passenger seat. These were consistent with makeshift smoking devices. A cut straw with residue was also found with the pens, the report said.
In the trunk was a brown leather bag containing a bottle of Advil, unused tin foil, men’s cologne, a pair of socks and several iPhone cases. Inside the Advil bottle were two different kinds of pills, one of which was identified as Motrin. The report noted that the officer found an identical pill in the driver’s seat. Additionally, a zipper pocket inside the bag contained a loaded syringe with about 2.5ml of a pinkish purple liquid.
Both occupants were individually read their rights, and they both agreed to talk. The passenger advised that she was aware of Karst having a drug problem. She did not know about the leather bag, but she was picked up by him around 11 a.m. to go clean houses. She claimed ownership of the backpack in the front seat, the report said.
The officer then spoke to Karst who initially stated the bag belonged to his brother-in-law. He was asked to stick out his arms, and the officer observed a multitude of scarring consistent with track marks. Karst admitted to having a drug problem for a while, and the bag belonged to him, the report said.
When asked what could be inside the syringe, Karst advised that it was “fentanyl.” A field test confirmed this to be true, the report said.
Karst was arrested and charged with possession of fentanyl. The Missouri native was transported to Lake County Jail with bond set at $5,000.