Three men who live just outside the walls of The Villages found themselves behind bars Wednesday night on a multitude of charges.
The incident started around 5 p.m. when a sheriff’s detective spotted a stolen blue Chevrolet sedan traveling north in the 2200 block of S Pine Avenue in Ocala. The vehicle matched the description of one that had been stolen out of Orange County, down to three stickers on the rear window and minor damage to the bumper.
The detective and other deputies stopped the car in a parking lot and directed the driver, 61-year-old Arturo Tattavitto, of Fruitland Park, to exit the vehicle. He was then detained as three passengers were removed from the vehicle, including 35-year-old Horace Lamar Saucier, of Lady Lake; and 33-year-old Bobby Joe Smith, of Wildwood.
After being read his rights, Tattavitto claimed a man named Justin had brought the vehicle to his Fruitland Park home about a week ago. He said Saucier and Smith had come by his house on Wednesday and asked him to drive them to Ocala because they were “tired.” He said he wasn’t sure where they were going in Ocala and “he wasn’t sure what Horace and BJ were going to do,” a sheriff’s office report states, adding that Tattavitto said he didn’t know the Chevrolet was stolen.
A sheriff’s corporal searched Saucier and reported that three clear plastic bags fell to the ground from inside his shorts. One bag contained a hard tan substance that field-tested positive for the presence of MDMA and had a raw weight of 56.5 grams. The second bag had a hard gray substance inside it that tested positive for the presence of heroin and had a raw weight of 33 grams. The third bag contained a clear crystal substance that field-tested positive for presence of methamphetamine and had a raw weight of 40.5 grams, a sheriff’s office report states.
“The previously mentioned narcotics and the amounts of the narcotics is consistent with a person selling narcotics and not just a user amount,” said a report filed by a member of the Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team who also responded to the traffic stop.
During a search of the vehicle, the sheriff’s corporal also located a plastic black box that contained the following:
- A clear plastic bag containing a green leafy substance that field-tested positive for THC content and had a raw weight of 29 grams;
- A clear plastic bag that contained a while powdery substance that tested positive for presence of cocaine and had a raw weight of seven grams;
- A clear cellophane wrapper that contained 14 white oval-shaped tablets that were identified as Hydrocodone;
- One round blue pill that was identified as morphine; and
- A box of razors, two digital scales and small zip-top bags “commonly used to distribute narcotics.
“This black box contains the rest of the items a drug dealer would generally have in his/her possession to effectively sell or distribute narcotics,” the UDEST report says, while also labeling Saucier as a “One-Stop Shop. “He is a drug dealer that can provide you with whichever narcotic that you would wish to purchase.”
After being read his rights, Saucier said the three bags contained MDMA, or Molly, and that he was taking them to his sister’s house for a party. He denied any knowledge of the black box or its content, the report says.
Due to inclement weather, Tattavitto and Saucier were placed in the back of a patrol vehicle. When they were later separated, a deputy noticed that Saucier had a white powder on his hands. The deputy then located a ripped-open clear plastic bag and white powder that tested positive for cocaine on the seat where Saucier was sitting.
“It is clear that the defendant was trying to destroy or dispose of evidence,” the report says.
Smith also was taken into custody and while being placed in a patrol vehicle, he claimed that Saucier had hid something in the pocket of the seat in front of him. Deputies then located a silver-and-black Bersa Thunder 380 pistol that was inside a black holster and was loaded one with round of ammunition in the chamber and two rounds in the magazine, the report says.
After being read his rights, Smith stated that he is a convicted felon and “not trying to go to prison.” He said he only had “one dollar to his name and does not need a gun to protect himself.” He again claimed Saucier had hidden the gun in the seat pocket and he didn’t know what it was, the report says, adding that the other occupants of the vehicle denied any knowledge of the firearm.
All three of the suspects were transported to the Marion County Jail. Tattavitto, who lives at 3908 Woodpecker Dr. in Fruitland Park and originally is from New York, was charged grand theft of a motor vehicle, trafficking in heroin, tampering with evidence and possession of marijuana less than 20 grams. He is being held on $33,000 bond and his next court date hasn’t yet been set.
Saucier, who lives at 40216 Orange Circle in Lady Lake, was charged with trafficking in methamphetamine, MDMA and heroin; possession of cocaine with intent to sell; possession of marijuana more than 20 grams with intent to sell; two counts of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription with intent to sell; tampering with evidence and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is being held on $95,000 bond and his next court date hasn’t yet been set.
Smith was charged with possession of a weapon or ammunition by a convicted felon and his being held on $5,000 bond. His next court date hasn’t yet been set.
Saucier was arrested in April 2018 after allegedly threatening a woman with a knife and demanding money. He supposedly claimed she had ruined his drug deals, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. He also was arrested in November 2018 after being accused of stealing packages of meat from a Leesburg Publix store.
Smith was arrested in August 2019 during a traffic stop when a Wildwood Police officer noticed “a mass in between Smith’s legs underneath his genitalia.” He shook Smith’s shorts and a plastic bag containing 6.5 grams of methamphetamine fell to the ground, a police report said.