A Wildwood man with a revoked license was arrested after being stopped with methamphetamine and fentanyl.
An officer observed 34-year-old Nathan Alan Stafford driving a green Dodge pickup truck westbound on Lady Lake Boulevard at 4:15 p.m. Thursday, according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department.
As the officer got closer, the truck tapped its brakes several times and made an abrupt turn. The officer then stopped the truck at High Avenue, where Stafford stated he did not have a license because he was a habitual traffic offender. A check of his driving history confirmed his license had been revoked as of April 20, 2022, for 60 months, the report said.
Stafford was subsequently detained in handcuffs. He denied consent for law enforcement to search his vehicle, but a K-9 unit’s positive alert to the odor of narcotics meant it was to be searched regardless. Officers discovered 2.78 grams of methamphetamine, 0.6 grams of fentanyl, several cut red straws with residue and burnt foil with methamphetamine, the report said.
The officers also searched Stafford, revealing another red cut straw and a piece of a pen with residue in his short pockets, the report said.
Stafford was arrested on charges of possession of fentanyl, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, as well as driving while license revoked (habitual). He was booked at the Lake County Jail and released after posting $8,500 bond.
He was also arrested in Oct. 2021 for defying a court order, in Sept. 2021 for brawling with his girlfriend at Circle K and in Feb. 2020 for attempting to cheat on a urine test.