UMATILLA, Fla. — A Paisley man was arrested the day before his birthday after deputies found a liquid mixture weighing 419 grams that tested positive for methamphetamine inside a Polar Pop cup, according to an arrest affidavit.
Jason Edward King, who turned 53 Thursday, was arrested early Wednesday on charges of trafficking in methamphetamine over 400 grams, possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and tampering with physical evidence.
A Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputy spotted a white Chevrolet pickup stopped past the stop bar at County Road 450 and County Road 42 around midnight Wednesday. The truck’s front end was in the intersection, and its license plate lights were extremely dim, the affidavit states.
The deputy stopped the truck on County Road 42 just past County Road 439 and identified King as the driver.
King denied having drugs in the truck. When asked for permission to search, he initially said the deputy could search if needed, but became unsure after the deputy explained the decision was his, according to the affidavit.
While the deputy worked on a written warning, another deputy deployed a drug-sniffing dog, which alerted to the odor of narcotics.
As King stepped out of the truck, a deputy saw him manipulating the front of his jeans before a baggie containing suspected marijuana dropped beside his left boot, according to the affidavit. Deputies also found a glass smoking device containing suspected methamphetamine residue in his left sock.
Inside the truck, deputies found a Polar Pop foam cup in the driver’s cup holder. A ripped plastic baggie was nearly submerged in liquid, with a white crystalline substance still visible in one corner, the affidavit states.
The liquid tested presumptively positive for methamphetamine. The collected mixture weighed 419 grams, according to the affidavit.
King told the deputy the cup was a few days old, but the deputy noted the liquid was cold and the cup had condensation on its exterior.
Deputies also found a small baggie containing residue that tested positive for methamphetamine behind the driver’s seat, according to the affidavit.
King was taken to the Lake County Jail where he is being held on $104,500 bond.
