The son of a couple in The Villages has been arrested on suspicion of selling drugs.
Charles Scott Straubel, 27, who lives with his parents in the Village of Santiago, continued to be held Tuesday on $26,000 bond following his arrest this past week on a felony charge of possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell.
The native New Yorker was driving a white 2016 Kia Optima late Thursday night when he was pulled over for running a stop sign, according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department. Prior to the traffic stop, his vehicle had been spotted at a house known for “increased drug activity.”
During the traffic stop, Straubel “appeared to be unsettled, disillusioned, nervous, sweating profusely, and fidgety,” the report said. Officers asked for permission to search the vehicle, but he refused. A K-9 unit arrived on the scene and the dog alerted on the vehicle, indicating the likely presence of drugs.
A search of the vehicle turned up a locked box which held 90 small yellow plastic baggies. They each contained a substance which tested positive for methamphetamine.
Straubel, who was armed with knives and a baton, insisted he was a drug user, but not a seller.
He began “acting hysterically and salivating.” He was transported to UF Health Leesburg Hospital for a medical evaluation. Once he was medically cleared, he was booked at the Lake County Jail.