A homeless man was apprehended in Lady Lake while driving a red Audi with a stolen license plate.
Officers began canvassing the area of U.S. Hwy. 27/441 and Eagles Nest Road for the stolen luxury sedan at 8:38 a.m. Sunday, according to an arrest report from the Fruitland Park Police Department. The tag attached to the Audi was reported as stolen to the Leesburg Police Department on Jan. 16.
While searching for the vehicle, an officer found it pulling out of 2810 Hartsock Sawmill Road. As he passed by the vehicle, which was still being backed up by 42-year-old Robert Wayne Shores, he observed the stolen license plate on the back. The officer turned around, and the vehicle pulled off the roadway back into the residence, the report said.
Once parked, Shores got out of the vehicle and fled on foot. The officer saw the passenger standing just outside the vehicle and asked where the driver went. The passenger advised that he ran but did not know why, the report said.
Shores was then found by the Lady Lake Police Department under a tarp. He was detained and placed in the back of a patrol car where he was read his rights. He stated he understood his rights and allowed the officer to question him, the report said.
During the interview, the officer gathered that Shores fled due to his driver’s license status. A guy named “Greg” stole his car while he was sleeping two weeks ago, and when he got it back, a different tag was on it. The report noted Shores told the officer he had the tag on the vehicle for the past week.
A check of Shores’ driving history showed his license was suspended on Jan. 19, 2021, for support delinquent issued. He had four prior convictions from 1999-2022 and currently had five other suspensions that required action on his part to become a valid driver. These ranged from failure to pay a traffic fine, financial responsibility, criminal failure to pay and court financial obligations, the report said.
A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of several items of drug paraphernalia. These included used syringes, burnt aluminum with residue, a cut straw used to ingest narcotics through the nose, a glass smoking device with brown residue and a pen that had the contents emptied to inhale narcotics that were heated up, the report said.
The report noted that during the inventory, in the trunk of the vehicle, a large bag containing a blue puddy-like was located. Also found in the trunk was a pack of cigarettes that contained a blue powder-like substance housed in cellophane. The powder appeared to be the same as the puddy, just possibly refined, the report said.
The LLPD assisted with the analysis of the substances, but the results were inconclusive. Lastly, a small bag was on the top center counsel area which had a white powdery substance inside. It was tested, too, but came back inconclusive. The substances were seized and would be later sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for testing, the report said.
The report noted that a FPPD officer assisted the LLPD with the search of the vehicle, and the glass smoking device was discovered in the driver’s door compartment with a syringe. These would have been in the immediate possession of Shores.
Shores was subsequently arrested on charges of attached tag not assigned, petit theft, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting an officer without violence and driving while license suspended with knowledge. He was transported to Lake County Jail with bond set at $3,000.