A Leesburg man was arrested when a deputy found methamphetamine inside a balled-up gum wrapped in his pocket.
A deputy observed a motorcycle coming up behind him on U.S. Hwy. 441 in Leesburg at 9:45 a.m. Sunday, April 19, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. As the rider, 41-year-old Jeremy Keith Gilbert, began to pass, he looked through the patrol car’s window and slowed down.
Once he passed, the deputy saw his motorcycle’s license plate was worn, damaged and unreadable. Gilbert distanced himself from the deputy using traffic congestion, after which he seemed to speed up again. The deputy had to drive well above the 50mph speed limit to catch up, the report said.
He subsequently stopped Gilbert in the parking lot of the Royal Smoke Shop, located at 1450 E N Blvd., Leesburg. The deputy then recognized him as someone he had previously stopped with methamphetamine and fentanyl. Even now, he seemed nervous and anxious to make a phone call, the report said.
The deputy explained the reason for the stop and asked Gilbert if he had any illegal narcotics due to their historical encounter. He stated he did not and denied consent for a search. While waiting for a K-9 unit to respond, the deputy began filling out paperwork for the unreadable license plate violation, the report said.
As he did so, he noticed Gilbert would not take his eyes off him and seemed to be reaching toward his right pocket. He was told to keep his hands where the deputy could see them until the K-9 unit got there. A positive alert meant the motorcycle was to be searched, starting with a pat down of Gilbert, the report said.
The deputy felt a balled-up wrapper in his back right pocket. When asked about this, Gilbert stated it was his bandana. There was also a wrapper in the small front pocket of his pants, which felt as if it contained a hard substance, the eprot said.
Based on the deputy’s experience with Gilbert hiding narcotics in plastic and foil wrappers, he believed he was feeling narcotics. He continued to investigate the front pocket and could see something wrapped in what looked like a foil gum wrapper. This was determined to be methamphetamine, the report said.
Gilbert was subsequently arrested for possession of methamphetamine. He was on probation for possession of a controlled substance and methamphetamine at the time, meaning he was charged for violating his probation, as well. He was booked at the Lake County Jail without bond.
The Ohio native was also nabbed with a loaded gun behind the Social Security office in Nov. 2022 and tased in a parking lot in April 2021.