A Belleview man was arrested for possession of drugs and a firearm following a chase near Mulberry Grove Plaza in The Villages.
Deputies observed 53-year-old Michael Benjamin Heilig in a blue Chevy pickup truck headed south on 1600 U.S. Hwy. 441 in Summerfield around 6:10 p.m. Saturday, according to an arrest report from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. The tailgate of the vehicle was lowered, but it appeared the attached tag had ben expired since September.
The deputies stopped the vehicle, and it slowly pulled into a Sunoco gas station. It continued west to County Road 42 and sped away, so the deputies turned on a siren. Heilig was obviously fleeing as he quickly turned into a neighborhood on 97th Avenue Road and took another turn onto 164th Place, the report said.
The vehicle ultimately stopped in the front yard of a residence at 9838 SE 164th Pl. A deputy saw Heilig get out of the driver’s side, holding a black bag and looking directly at him. He then fled to the backyard of the residence, the report said.
The deputy yelled for him to stop or be tased. He then tripped over the fence to the backyard, dropped the bag and surrendered. At that point, he cooperated so he could be easily detained, the report said.
Once detained, he admitted to having drugs and a gun in the bag he was carrying. He also apologized and stated he was stupid, the report said.
The deputies subsequently searched the bag Heilig dropped and found a small silver single shot .22-caliber handgun, which was loaded in a holster. More .22 caliber ammunition was found loose in the bag, along with 3 grams of marijuana, 2.5 grams of methamphetamine and a glass pipe with fentanyl, the report said.
Additionally, the deputies learned Heilig’s license had been suspended since 1991 with multiple current suspensions. He had two prior arrests for driving while license suspended and a 60-month habitual traffic offender revocation from Aug. 15, 1991. He also had convictions of DUI and driving while license suspended in Georgia and Marion County from 1993 and 2023, respectively, the report said.
Heilig was briefly interviewed and advised that he bought the truck a few months ago. He did not get it registered to him. He instead got the tag from his friend and put it on his truck, the report said.
He subsequently confirmed he just got the marijuana and methamphetamine. He was not worried about the drugs but forgot he had the gun in the bag. He confirmed he was a convicted felon and was upset about what happened. He stated he was an idiot and knew better, the report said.
Heilig was arrested on charges of resist officer (flee/elude law enforcement officer with lights/sirens active), nonmoving traffic violation (attached registration/license plate not assigned), resist officer (obstruct without violence), possession of marijuana (less than 20 grams), possession of fentanyl, possession of controlled substance without prescription, possession of drug paraphernalia, knowingly driving while license suspended (second or subsequent conviction), possession of weapon or ammo by convicted felon and weapon offense (use/display firearm during felony).
He was transported to Marion County Jail with bond set at $27,500.