A member of a cleaning crew was arrested with vials stolen from an eye surgery center in The Villages.
An officer conducted a wellness check at Wawa, 11770 N U.S. 301, around 9 a.m. Thursday, according to an arrest report from the Wildwood Police Department. Dispatch advised that 42-year-old William Lewis Fishbaugh of Ocklawaha was slumped over, unresponsive inside a white pickup truck at a gas pump.
Upon arrival, the officer found Fishbaugh asleep in the driver’s seat without a shirt. He then woke up and advised that he had recently gotten off work after cleaning medical operating rooms at separate locations, and he was fatigued from working overnight. He also stated he misplaced his wallet and could not find his driver’s license, the report said.
The officer returned to his patrol car to get a notepad, and while walking back, he saw Fishbaugh moving things around in the cab of his truck. This included putting a small baggie into a pair of cowboy boots in the passenger seat. He subsequently denied having drugs in the vehicle but disclosed a pepper-ball launcher inside the vehicle, the report said.
When asked about the boots, he handed them over to the officer for inspection. The officer asked what may be inside, to which he stated a “needle” related to his testosterone hormone replacement therapy. However, the baggie inside the left boot turned out to contain methamphetamine, the report said.
Fishbaugh claimed it came from the bathroom of a blind man who lived in a residence he had been cleaning. He discovered it on top of a bathroom mirror and put it inside his boot. At that point, the officer proceeded to search him and his vehicle, the report said.
He first discovered a blue tied-off medical glove with four vials labeled as fentanyl 100mg/2mL. They appeared to have been used but retained residual clear contents. Fishbaugh initially described them as trash, later stating they had been picked up from the floor while dumping a trash can at work, the report said.
The truck contained a box of 305 cigarettes with multiple small tin foil packages in the center console. One of the packages had methamphetamine, while two more had cocaine. Law enforcement discovered an unopened vial labeled as 50mg/mL of ephedine sulfate, a metal spoon with white residue and a digital scale with more white residue, as well, the report said.
A black backpack in the passenger seat contained a tin foil package and multiple cellophane baggies, consistent with the sale of narcotics. The baggies contained powdery residue. Another tin foil package had methamphetamine. There was also a white Samsung tablet and two phones located in the vehicle, the report said.
The pepper-ball launcher mentioned by Fishbaugh was found under the driver’s seat. It was determined to be an orange and black Prepared 2 Protect HDP 50 C Gen 2. Fishbaugh is a convicted felon who should not have had this in his possession, the report said.
EMS later assessed Fishbaugh at the scene and transported him to the Trailwinds ER for further evaluation. After being discharged, he advised that he retrieved the four vials from a trash can at Ocala Eye Surgery Center, 3102 CR 507, The Villages, while at work. He owned the contraband at the scene and admitted to buying narcotics with the intent to resell, the report said.
Fishbaugh was arrested on charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell, cocaine with intent to sell, fentanyl, ephedrine sulfate, chemical weapon by a convicted felon and drug paraphernalia, as well as four counts of grand theft of a controlled substance and a warrant for DUI. He was booked at the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office with bond set at $22,000.