TAVARES, Fla. — A traffic stop for a stop sign violation led to the arrest of a Leesburg man on trafficking and other drug charges Sunday night, according to an arrest affidavit.
Joshua D. Franklin, 41, was arrested for trafficking methamphetamine over 28 grams, possession of cocaine with intent to sell and possession of drug paraphernalia during a traffic stop.
According to the affidavit, a Tavares K9 officer stopped Franklin’s silver passenger car around shortly before 8 p.m. after seeing it fail to stop behind the stop bar at the intersection of U.S. Highway 441 and Sinclair Avenue.
Franklin denied having any weapons or narcotics and declined a search of the vehicle. K9 Bruce alerted during an open-air sniff of the vehicle, and officers found unused plastic baggies, a digital scale and a keychain container with cocaine residue inside the vehicle. A search of Franklin also uncovered approximately 30 grams of methamphetamine, 12 grams of cocaine and a glass pipe containing drug residue.
Franklin was transported to the Lake County Jail, where he is being held on $601,000 bond.
