A 46-year-old who lives with his parents in The Villages is back behind bars after a late-night traffic stop yielded methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.
Jeffrey Douglas Quinn, who resides at his parents’ home in the Village of Hadley, was arrested late Thursday night by the Lady Lake Police Department. This marks another run-in with the law for Quinn, who was previously arrested earlier this year on a shoplifting charge.
The latest incident unfolded at about 11:05 p.m. when an officer observed Quinn driving a red Kia sedan westbound on County Road 466. Quinn made an improper right turn onto South Old Dixie Highway and failed to maintain his lane before eventually pulling into the Wawa parking lot on U.S. Hwy. 27/441, according to an arrest report.
After Quinn exited the vehicle, the officer ordered him back into the driver’s seat to conduct the traffic stop. The officer immediately noted that the 46-year-old was sweating profusely and appeared highly nervous. When asked if there was anything concerning inside the vehicle, Quinn vaguely replied, “I don’t think so.”
As backup arrived, a corporal shining a flashlight into the car watched Quinn toss a white, hollow pen with burnt residue out the driver’s side window. The corporal also spotted Quinn pulling his shorts up and attempting to hide something underneath his left leg on the seat.
Officers ordered Quinn out of the car and discovered a clear, crystallized rock-like substance resting in plain view on the driver’s seat. The substance, along with additional smaller pieces found nearby, weighed 1.59 grams and field-tested positive for methamphetamine. A subsequent search of the vehicle also turned up a piece of foil with burnt residue.
Quinn was arrested on felony charges of possession of methamphetamine and tampering with physical evidence, as well as a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. He continues to be held at the Lake County Jail, as the latest arrest has been considered a violation of his previous probation.