A Lady Lake man was arrested after being stopped for driving with a suspended license with drugs in his possession.
A deputy observed a white Dodge minivan traveling southbound on Southeast 80th Avenue around 1:40 a.m. Wednesday, according to an arrest report from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. A records check of the vehicle showed the registered owner, 31-year-old Christopher Eugene Gilliam, had a suspended license.
As the deputy approached the vehicle from behind for a traffic stop, he saw it hit the brakes periodically for seemingly no reason. He watched the vehicle make an abrupt left turn into a random grassy driveway. He then turned on his emergency lights for a traffic stop, the report said.
The deputy approached Gilliam and confirmed he was the registered owner of the vehicle. He asked Gilliam what was going on with his license, and he stated he did not know. He also said it could be suspended, the report said.
Gilliam advised that he was on a payment plan that kept his license valid as long as he continued making monthly payments. It would suspend his license if he stopped making payments. He had missed the last couple of payments, the report said.
The deputy proceeded to check Gilliam’s records, which confirmed his license was actively suspended. It also revealed one prior conviction for driving while license suspended/revoked from March 29, 2023, the report said.
Gilliam was then placed under arrest, at which time a small baggie with a green leafy substance was found on his person. He advised that there was “weed” in it. When asked if it was hemp, he reiterated it was just “weed” that he got from a friend, the report said.
After securing Gilliam in the back of his patrol vehicle, the deputy walked back up to the driver’s side of the vehicle. He noticed a suspicious grey and green satchel-type bag under the front right portion of the driver’s seat. He walked back to his patrol vehicle and asked Gilliam about it, the report said.
Gilliam denied knowledge of the bag but allowed the deputy to retrieve it and bring it to him to show him which bag he was referring to. When the deputy picked up the bag, he noticed it was unzipped and saw a portion of rubber tubing that he knew to be consistent with drug use. Gilliam gave him consent to open the top, and he observed that the rubber tube was connected to a glass pipe with burnt residue inside. The deputy knew this to be associated with smoking methamphetamine, the report said.
Gilliam was charged with driving while license suspended/revoked (second or subsequent offense), possession of marijuana (less than 20 grams) and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was transported to Marion County Jail with bond set at $3,000.
He was also arrested in July 2022 for unlawfully carrying two Social Security cards.