A Fruitland Park man who was driving in a rainstorm with no headlights found himself behind bars Monday night.
Fruitland Park Police officers stopped 45-year-old Patrick Edward Buchanan shortly after 5 p.m. in the parking lot of the Fruitland Park Plaza, located at the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 27/441 and Picciola Cutoff Road. Buchanan told officers that he only had a Florida identification card because his license was suspended for driving under the influence.
A background check showed that Buchanan had five previous convictions for driving with license suspended and four DUI convictions. It also showed that Buchanan’s license was permanently suspended on March 1, 2005 for DUI. And on Sept. 18, he was marked as a habitual traffic offender, a police report states.
Buchanan was placed under arrest and during a subsequent search of his vehicle, a clear glass smoking device was found that yielded a positive field test for methamphetamine residue. Buchanan’s vehicle was then towed and he was transported to the Lake County Jail.
Buchanan was charged with driving with license suspended (permanently revoked for DUI) and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is being held on $12,000 bond and is due in court Oct. 23 at 8 a.m. to answer to the charge.
