An Ocala man was charged with possession of marijuana and resisting arrest, while a Summerfield man was arrested on weapons charges during a traffic stop in Fruitland Park early Monday.
Anthony Jared Ort, 22, of 5279 SE 34th Court in Ocala, and Jave’on Emmanuel Walters, 20, of 3885 SE 137th Lane, were passengers in a vehicle pulled over by a Fruitland Park police officer at around 1:30 a.m. for making an illegal U-turn on County Road 468 near Centennial Boulevard. An FCIC/NCIC check of the vehicle’s license plate showed it was not currently assigned to a vehicle, according to the police report.
While speaking with the driver about the illegal U-turn and the license tag, the officer noticed the odor of marijuana coming out of the vehicle. All the occupants of the vehicle said no when asked if any of them had a medical marijuana card, the report said.
The vehicle and its occupants were searched. Hidden inside Walters’ pants was a black Smith & Wesson 380 handgun that was reported stolen in Marion County in August. After being placed under arrest, Walters said he purchased the firearm for safety reasons and didn’t know it was stolen. Walters, who has multiple prior felony convictions, was charged with possession of a weapon or ammunition by a convicted Florida felon and carrying a concealed unlicensed firearm, according to the report.
All the occupants of the vehicle provided their identification information to the officer except Ort, who was eventually identified by a police RapidID device. An FCIC/NCIC check showed he had multiple outstanding warrants, the report said.
The search of the vehicle turned up a clear plastic bag with several multi-colored tablets beneath the front passenger’s seat, a green tablet on the right-rear passenger floorboard, a pink tablet on the left-rear passenger seat, and a black backpack on the left-rear floor partially under the driver’s seat. Inside the backpack was a large quantity of a green leafy substance that tested positive for marijuana and a digital scale, according to the report.
All the passengers except Ort said they had no knowledge of the drugs in the vehicle, while the driver said the backpack belonged to Ort. Due to the statements of others in the vehicle and the location the backpack, officers determined it belonged to Ort. He was charged with possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana and resisting arrest without violence. Based on the prior warrants, Ort was also charged with domestic battery by strangulation and a probation violation, the report said.
Ort and Walters were taken to the Lake County Jail. Ort was released Tuesday on $5,000 bond, while Walters is being held on $20,000 bond. Both are scheduled to appear in Lake County Court on Oct. 17.
