An Ocala man was arrested after attempting to hide unprescribed medication in his mouth and then stuffing it into a pair of wet swim trunks during a traffic stop in Wildwood.
Blake Brockway Powell, 32, was pulled over at about 11:40 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 30, while driving a silver 2018 Dodge van near State Road 44 and Interstate 75. A Sumter County sheriff’s deputy initiated the stop after noticing Powell was not wearing a seatbelt.
After deciding to issue a warning for the traffic violation, the deputy asked the van’s passenger — who was the registered owner of the vehicle — for permission to search it. She agreed and signed a consent waiver, according to the arrest report.
As deputies were speaking with the passenger, another deputy noticed Powell reach into a bag, quickly motion his hand toward his mouth, and then shove his hand into a pair of blue shorts inside the bag. When confronted, Powell claimed he was simply grabbing clothes from the bag because they were wet…