A pair from Eustis were arrested on drug and firearm charges after being stopped for illegally tinted windows.
Deputies stopped a silver SUV with dark tint on Old Tavares Road in Leesburg around 12:10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. As they spoke to the driver, 27-year-old Elliott Alexander Jones, they recognized the passenger beside him as 34-year-old Nicole Margaret Salinas, who had a warrant for theft, resisting a merchant and fleeing from law enforcement.
She was detained for the warrant as the deputies tested the vehicle’s tint, which turned out to be too dark. They also checked Jones’s driving history and learned his license was invalid. His criminal history showed he was a convicted felon as of 2021, the report said.
As Jones stepped out of the vehicle, a deputy noticed a clear baggie of cocaine under his right foot. A search of the vehicle followed and led to the discovery of a glass smoking device with white and brown residue in the driver’s side door pocket. There was also a small baggie on top of an ashtray in the center console cupholder and a clear wrapper tied with a knot in another cupholder, both with cocaine residue, the report said.
Under the stereo sat a small Taurus .380 caliber handgun loaded with one round in the chamber. This gun had been reported lost out of Sumter County, the report said.
In the backseat was a black backpack containing a red alien-like smoking device. There was also a clear torn wrapper with white powder residue, the report said.
Meanwhile, Salinas was wearing a black fanny pack found to contain a purple eyeglass case with a glass smoking device. White and brown residue was discovered on the device, consistent with using illegal narcotics, the report said.
The deputies were going through the trunk of the vehicle when they found a black container typically used for shelving storage. Salinas stood behind them as they searched through the contents, and she commented about how the papers inside were hers. At the bottom of the container were methamphetamine and a baggie of cocaine, the report said.
Prior to being taken to a patrol vehicle, Salinas denied having any drugs on her person. But correctional staff later located a clear plastic container of methamphetamine in her bra, the report said.
Jones was ultimately arrested on charges of possession of cocaine, drug paraphernalia and firearm by convicted felon. He was transported to the Lake County Jail with bond set at $18,500.
Salinas was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of methamphetamine, possession of cocaine and introduce contraband into county detention facility (methamphetamine). Her bond was set at $17,500.