A Leesburg man who gave police phony ID information during a routine stop had cocaine in his possession and an active warrant for his arrest.
An officer spotted 63-year-old Gregory Eugene Williar walking in the road in front of Chipotle, located at 10450 U.S. Hwy. 441 in Leesburg, at around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. Williar was walking between the white fog line and the sidewalk and appeared to be soliciting a ride, which are both pedestrian violations, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department.
The officer spoke with Williar and explained why he was stopped. Williar told the officer he didn’t have an identification card in his possession, but he provided the name, “Jeff G. William” and a false birthdate. He also said his ID was out of Virginia, not Florida, the report said.
While the officer returned to his patrol car to complete a written warning for a pedestrian violation, Williar crossed the highway in the middle of the block and headed toward the Shoppes of Lake Village. During that time, the officer was notified there was no record for the name and birthdate Williar provided, according to the report.
The officer met with Williar again to confirm the information he provided. At that point, another officer arrived and recognized Williar from previous a contact. He said there should be a record from that contact. Williar continued to provide different variations of his name until he finally gave his correct legal name and birthdate, the report said.
A computer search using the correct information revealed Williar had an active warrant in Lake County for petit larceny. He was placed under arrest and a subsequent search of his backpack revealed a black flashlight with a small plastic bag stuffed inside the battery compartment. The bag contained 1.4 grams of a white rock-like substance that tested positive for cocaine, according to the report.
The Maryland native was taken to the Lake County Jail on charges of giving a false ID to a law enforcement officer and possession of cocaine. The petit larceny charge was added later, bringing his total bond to $5,000.P
