A man and a woman were arrested after a K-9 alerted on their vehicle Tuesday afternoon in Wildwood.
Gage Thaniel Matthews, 20, of Summerfield, had been at the wheel of a gold Toyota at 1 p.m. at the intersection of U.S. 301 and State Road 44 when a Wildwood police officer noticed Matthews wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. During a traffic stop, Matthews admitted he did not have a valid Florida driver’s license and a check showed a record of multiple suspensions.
A K-9 unit arrived on the scene and the dog alerted on the vehicle, indicating the likely presence of drugs. A passenger, 23-year-old Sarah Dawn Martin, of Ocklawaha, who also had not been wearing her seatbelt, was found to be in possession of a bag that contained two glass smoking pipes with burnt residue, two used hypodermic needles and two cuts straws. She was also found to be in possession of a crystal rock that tested positive as methamphetamine.
Martin was arrested on a felony charge of drug possession and a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug equipment. She was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center on $3,000 bond.
Matthews was arrested on a charge of driving while license suspended. He was booked on $1,000 bond.
