An Ocala man was arrested with methamphetamine while on the way to a friend’s house to fix a vehicle.
An officer checked the tag of a white Pontiac passenger car headed north on U.S. Hwy. 27/441 at 8:15 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, according to an arrest report from the Fruitland Park Police Department. Local returns showed a prior incident involving 35-year-old Thomas Robert Berent, who was currently behind the wheel despite not having a valid driver’s license.
The officer subsequently stopped him at South Grays Airport Road and Eagles Nest Road. When asked why he was driving without a license, Berent stated he was going to a friend’s house to fix a vehicle. A K-9 unit was then brought to the scene, and a positive alert to the odor of narcotics led to a search of his vehicle, the report said.
A black zipper pouch was discovered directly under the driver’s seat. Opening it revealed a glass smoking device with cloudy burnt residue and a baggie of methamphetamine. Berent later advised that even though he and his girlfriend drove the vehicle, the items found belonged to him alone, the report said…