A Leesburg man was arrested on drug charges after being stopped with meth on the way to ride trails in the woods.
Deputies stopped 38-year-old John Paul Alford at Washington Drive and Veva Avenue in Paisley around 11:45 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. His black Dodge pickup truck had a “gimmick tag” instead of a valid license plate, which he claimed was because the vehicle was a “woods truck” intended for off-road use. The passenger alongside him stated they were just going to ride trails in the woods.
When asked for his license and registration, Alford admitted he had neither. He claimed to have bought the vehicle from a neighbor for off-road purposes. He also disclosed the presence of a BB gun in the back seat, the report said.
It was during this interaction that deputies noticed he had a syringe under his foot, which he stated contained “ice,” slang for methamphetamine. He also had a small amount of marijuana in his left pocket. He was subsequently asked to step out of the vehicle so it could be searched, the report said…