An Ocala man and his companion were arrested on drug charges after the discovery of foil, cut straws and fentanyl in their vehicle.
An officer pulled over 27-year-old Daniel Patrick Simpson, 29-year-old Johnny Shayne Simpson and a female passenger at Dixie Avenue and Miller Street around 12:35 a.m. Thursday, according to an arrest report from the Fruitland Park Police Department. Their silver Ford SUV had driven into the bicycle lane, leading to the traffic stop.
Johnny, the driver, did not have a license. While he searched for it anyway, the officer turned his attention to Daniel, who looked extremely nervous in the backseat. He lied during the conversation by saying he was 26 years old, the report said.
At that point, the officer noticed a partially burnt marijuana cigarette in front of the vehicle’s radio. He also saw a black Glock-style pistol, later determined to be a BB replica, on the rear center console. All three occupants were subsequently removed from the vehicle and detained for an investigation, the report said.
The officer then asked Daniel for his information, to which he gave a fake name. His behavior hinted that he was not being truthful, so the officer warned him he could be arrested for lying about his name. He still gave the same name, the report said.
The officer moved on to Johnny’s criminal history and learned he had an active arrest warrant out of Marion County for felony battery. He also had 18 prior suspensions, revocations and cancellations on his driver’s license. In fact, on Oct. 22, 2015, his license was revoked for fleeing to elude law enforcement. He had seven prior convictions for driving with a suspended license, as well, the report said.
Shortly after this discovery, the officer asked the other passenger for permission to search her vehicle. She gave consent but had an obvious internal conflict about it. Due to this, the officer deployed his K-9 partner and got a positive alert to the odor of narcotics, the report said.
During the search that followed, the officer located a black zippered pouch in the passenger door pocket that contained a plastic straw with suspected narcotics residue. The pouch also had a piece of foil that had a brown residue on it, which he suspected to be fentanyl. In the backseat was a backpack with Johnny’s wallet and a glass pipe with methamphetamine residue, the report said.
On the front seat, several pieces of foil and a cut plastic straw were in plain view. The straw looked like it had been burned and contained suspected narcotic residue. In one of the pieces of foil were several pieces of an unknown narcotic believed to be fentanyl or crack-cocaine, the report said.
The report noted that the officer recovered a small backpack that had fallen from Daniel’s person as he got out of the vehicle. It contained a wallet and an ID card with his true identity.
Giving this information to dispatch revealed Daniel had an active warrant for his arrest out of Marion County for possession of drug paraphernalia. Daniel confirmed this warrant when asked about it, saying it was the reason he lied about his name. A search of his person led to the discovery of a piece of foil with suspected fentanyl residue, along with a cut and burnt plastic straw, the report said.
While speaking with the passenger about her knowledge of Johnny’s drug use, Daniel stated, “We do a good job of hiding it,” the report said.
Daniel was arrested on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and provide false name to law enforcement officer. He was booked at Lake County Jail with bond set at $2,000.
Johnny was arrested on charges of possession of fentanyl, possession of drug paraphernalia, and driving while license suspended or revoked (flee to elude, eighth offense). He was booked at the jail with bond set at $11,000.