On Sunday, December 17th, 2023, at approximately 0535 hours,Hillsborough county Deputy responded to the intersection of Lithia
Pinecrest Rd and Bloomingdale Ave in reference to a Suspicious Vehicle call for service. Upon arrival, he observed a black 2016 Volkswagen Jetta bearing a Florida license plate of stopped at the intersection of Lithia Pinecrest Rd and Bloomingdale Rd. The vehicle was stopped in the left- most straight lane of Lithia Pinecrest Rd with the front of the vehicle pointed northwest. All doors of the vehicle were locked with the front driver and passenger side door windows partially cracked, however, they were not open enough to reach in and open either door. Inside the vehicle, an unknown male occupant, later identified as the Defendant, was observed sitting in the driver's seat, unconscious, with his head slumped downward. It should be noted numerous attempts were made to wake the Defendant with light and verbal stimuli all met with negative results. It was unknown if he was experiencing a medical emergency. Directly adjacent to the Defendant, the grip of a tan pistole-style firearm was observed wedged between the driver's seat and
the center console of the vehicle. Due to the presence of a firearm, the vehicle still placed in drive, and possible medical emergency, the front passenger side window was forcibly smashed and the firearm was quickly obtained and separated from the Defendant. The Defendant remained unconscious after the firearm was obtained. It should be noted the Defendant advised he was not injured, therefore, Emergency Medical services were not requested.
While reaching into the vehicle to obtain the firearm, an opened bottle of Hennessy was observed in the front passenger side floorboard. Both during the window being smashed and after, the Defendant remained unconscious. The Defendant was then woken up, and instructed to place the vehicle in park. A black satchel was observed strapped to his chest and was removed from his person. As the satchel was being removed, the bag zipper opened and a green leafy substance consistent with the appearance of Marijuana was observed in a plastic bag. Once The Defendant was removed from the vehicle, he was unsteady on his feet and stumbled. During the interview process, the defendant appeared lethargic, was slow to respond to questions, had glassy eyes, and had the odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his breath and person. He advised he was heading back to Tampa after dropping someone off in
the Valrico area. When the Defendant was asked where he was, he appeared unsure and began looking for a street sign for a reference. It should be noted, After the Defendant was removed from the vehicle, the following was observed in the front driver's seat: One pack of " Raw" rolling papers. One white container with " Premium Cannabis Flower" with a green wax substance inside. Due to the observations made during the interview process with the Defendant, a Driving Under the Influence investigator was requested to respond to the incident scene and a DUI investigation was conducted. The Defendant was subsequently placed under arrest. He provided a breath sample of .059/.058. A urine sample was also collected and tested positive for marijuana.
Result: the firm set the case for trial and prior to the start of the trial, the State dropped the DUI charge.