A Fruitland Park man was arrested after hiding a baggie of cocaine in the back of a patrol vehicle.
A deputy observed 66-year-old Raymond Tolbert driving a silver Ford utility vehicle out of a plaza on Northern Avenue in Leesburg around 11:40 p.m. Monday, May 11, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
As the vehicle passed him, the deputy saw that the tag light was not working, making the tag unreadable. He subsequently stopped the vehicle at County Road 473. After another unit arrived on scene, the deputy removed Tolbert from the vehicle for a consensual search, the report said.
Tolbert was seen reaching toward the left door panel before opening the door. In that area, the deputy found a black leather eyeglass case with several small empty plastic baggies. There was also a small red cut straw with cocaine residue, the report said.
The deputy proceeded to search Tolbert’s person and found nothing until he took off his right boot. Out fell another small plastic baggie with cocaine. Tolbert immediately grabbed it before law enforcement could stop him, the report said.
He pulled away from the deputy as he retrieved some handcuffs. Tolbert continued to tense up and bent over at the waist to conceal the baggie. Another deputy helped place handcuffs on him, at which point the baggie was nowhere to be seen, the report said.
Tolbert was escorted to the back of a patrol vehicle, where his hand covered the seatbelt buckle. The deputy brought him back out due to these unusual movements, and he could now see the missing baggie shoved into the belt buckle hole. It was clear he hid the bag in his underwear and then put it in the buckle to tamper with evidence, the report said.
One of the other deputies later advised that he found a magnetic box under the driver’s side of the vehicle. It contained five baggies of cocaine and a blue straw with cocaine residue, the report said.
Tolbert was ultimately charged with possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and resisting without violence. He was booked at the Lake County Jail and released after posting $7,000 bond.
He was also arrested in March 2023 for impersonating his brother during a traffic stop.