A Mulberry man was arrested when he stopped for an unregistered and uninsured vehicle twice in one hour.
An officer spotted the driver of a silver Jeep UT, later identified as 57-year-old Harold Smith, towing a red utility trailer near Huey Street around 9:35 a.m. Monday, according to an arrest report from the Wildwood Police Department. The trailer had no tag affixed to it.
The officer turned on overhead emergency lights and stopped the Jeep. He asked Smith for his driver’s license and proof of insurance. Smith handed over his license but stated he did not have any current motor vehicle liability insurance on the vehicle, the report said.
The officer ran Smith and the Jeep through dispatch and learned the vehicle’s tag expired June 9, 2022. Smith was issued two citations for no motor vehicle registration or vehicle liability insurance. He was told not to drive without insurance and a current tag before the officer left the scene, the report said.
At around 11 p.m., the officer was patrolling east on State Road 44 and U.S. Hwy. 301 when he saw the same Jeep UT towing a red trailer turning left onto the highway from State Road 44. Smith was still driving, so the officer stopped him at United Southern Bank, 1017 S Main St., Wildwood, the report said.
The officer walked up to the vehicle and asked Smith if he got any motor vehicle liability insurance, to which he said no. Dispatch confirmed the tag was still expired, and the vehicle still had no current registration. This was the second stop for the same offenses one hour apart, the report said.
Smith was subsequently arrested on charges of fail to register motor vehicle and fail to have motor vehicle liability insurance. He was transported to the Sumter County Detention Center and released after posting $300 bond.