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The Villages
Friday, March 29, 2024

Man attempts to destroy evidence during traffic stop in The Villages

Shawn Timothy Byrne

A man was arrested after attempting to destroy evidence during a traffic stop in The Villages.

Shawn Timothy Byrne, 45, of Fruitland Park, was driving a Chevrolet Silverado pickup at 1:20 a.m. Tuesday on U.S. Hwy. 441 at Bella Cruz Drive when a Sumter County sheriff’s deputy noticed that the occupants of the vehicle were not wearing seatbelts.

During a traffic stop, Byrne appeared “extremely nervous” and a K-9 unit was summoned to the scene. The dog alerted on the truck, signaling the likely presence of drugs.

Byrne removed from his shorts pocket a “baggie consistent with illicit narcotics,” dropped it on the ground and stepped on it several times in an effort to destroy evidence, the report said.

A check revealed Byrne had previous arrests for possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana and tampering with evidence. Byrne had also been arrested in 2016 after falsely “returning” paint at Lowe’s in Summerfield.

He was taken into custody on charges of possession of heroin and attempting to destroy evidence. He was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center and released after posting $7,000 bond.

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