– Nervous behavior traffic stop prompts police search suspect’s vehicle
– Nervous behavior during traffic stop prompts police search suspect’s car.
Accident – Death – Obituary News :
An Ocklawaha man found himself in hot water after his nervous behaviour caught the attention of police officers, leading to his arrest for drug possession.
The incident occurred when an officer observed a gray Dodge pickup truck, driven by 42-year-old Michael Griffin Fielder, travelling southbound on U.S. Hwy. 27/441 near the intersection with Shadow Hill Road at 12:22 a.m. on May 1, as detailed in an arrest report from the Fruitland Park Police Department. The officer noticed that the vehicle had two rear high-mounted lamps emitting a white light without the brakes activated, and the rear side windows appeared to be excessively dark.
Suspecting that something may be amiss, the officer initiated a traffic stop and approached Fielder, requesting that he roll down the rear windows about halfway. A tint meter was then used on the rear side windows, revealing a reading of 4%, well below the legal minimum of 15%, according to the report.
Fielder’s behaviour raised further suspicions as he exhibited signs of nervousness, with shaky hands and frequent movements suggesting he was hiding something. Additionally, the officer noted physical indicators of potential drug use, such as fresh scabs, track marks, and pupil size. Dispatch also informed the officer that Fielder was currently on probation for possession of a controlled substance.
When asked for consent to search the vehicle for narcotics, Fielder refused, prompting the officer to request a K-9 unit. Upon arrival, the K-9 positively alerted to the presence of narcotics within the vehicle, leading to a probable cause search.
During the search, two uncapped syringes and one capped syringe were discovered inside the center console. The uncapped syringes contained a clear liquid substance, which tested positive for methamphetamine. Additionally, a burnt plastic wrapper with white powdery residue, a burnt spoon with dried cotton, and a white powdery substance in a cut blue straw were found, all testing positive for methamphetamine.
Fielder was subsequently detained, read his rights, and admitted that the syringes belonged to him and contained methamphetamine. However, he later retracted his statement regarding the liquid substance, denying that it was methamphetamine.
Fielder was arrested on charges of possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. He was taken to Lake County Jail, where bond was set at $6,000.
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1. Nervous behavior during traffic stop prompts police to search suspect’s pickup
2. Nervous behavior during traffic stop prompts police to search suspect’s pickup.
