A Leesburg man and his Eustis cohort were arrested on drug charges after being stopped with meth, cocaine and a glass pipe.
The occupants of a blue Chevrolet SUV, later identified as 59-year-old Daniel Robert Michalowski and 52-year-old Wilbert Lewis Pew, failed to come to a complete stop at the intersection of Ashford Avenue and South Grove Street at 12:50 a.m. Sunday, April 19, according to an arrest report from the Eustis Police Department.
The vehicle proceeded to turn onto South Grove Street and was stopped by an officer at Old Mt. Dora Road. Michalowski admitted he did not have a valid driver’s license due to prior suspensions, and Pew gave a false name. The former then consented to have his vehicle searched, the report said.
Michalowski was first patted down for weapons, during which the officer saw him drop a glass pipe on the ground. He stepped on the pipe and broke it despite being ordered to stop. He was subsequently handcuffed and put in the back of a patrol vehicle, the report said.
The search continued inside the SUV, where the officer found a McDonald’s bag in the backseat. It contained a smaller black zipper bag and a yellow Dollar General plastic bag. Their contents included different baggies of various crystallized substances, an unlabeled prescription container with unused baggies and a razor blade with white residue stuck to it, the report said.
The officer later discovered a Florida Correctional inmate’s picture ID with Pew’s real name. When asked about this, he claimed the picture was of his brother. It was ultimately determined to be him, though, and he was detained in handcuffs, the report said.
He was also asked about the contents of the brown bag, to which he stated he did not know what was inside the truck. He claimed that he had all of his possessions on his person outside the vehicle, the report said.
The officer moved on to speak with Michlowski, who advised that the two were at McDonald’s when they noticed police in the area. He bought a McFlurry and cookies. Before this, he had picked up Pew by Wall Street and driven to the Colonial Inn, located at 1000 S Bay St. The report noted this motel was known for being a high-crime area.
He added that the pipe he had was in his shoe, and he did not realize he had stepped on it. The officer was ultimately able to find a McDonald’s receipt with a time stamp of 12:44 a.m., with the food he stated he purchased, the report said.
At that point, the officer ran Pew’s name through dispatch and learned he had multiple outstanding warrants. These included failure to appear for possession of cocaine, possession of cannabis, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving with an invalid license. Michalowski had prior narcotic-related crimes and convictions, the report said.
Another officer proceeded to test the powdery substances that had been found in the vehicle. They turned out to be 13 grams of methamphetamine, 3 grams of cocaine and 3 grams of crack cocaine. The broken glass pipe tested positive for THC, the report said.
Michalowski was arrested on charges of driving while license suspended with knowledge, tampering with evidence and possession of drug paraphernalia. The Connecticut native was booked at the Lake County Jail and released after posting $4,000 bond. He was also arrested in Sept. 2025 for failure to return a vehicle to Enterprise.
Pew was arrested on charges of possession of methamphetamine, cocaine and drug paraphernalia, as well as provide false name to law enforcement officer. He was booked at the jail without bond due to the warrants.