A Fruitland Park man was detained after being stopped with a firearm, drugs, and needles.
An officer on patrol saw 40-year-old Michael Anthony Horstman driving a truck with a trailer southbound on Dixie Avenue around 1 a.m. Wednesday, according to an arrest report from the Fruitland Park Police Department.
The truck did not come to a halt before the white stop bar at the intersection with Miller Street. It then turned right onto Miller Street, where an officer conducted a traffic stop at College Avenue. The officer approached the vehicle and discovered two hypothermic needles between Horstman’s legs, according to the report.
One needle carried 0.2 grams of liquid methamphetamine, while the other contained blood. Horstman obeyed when requested to exit the truck, explaining that he had made a mistake. He used the narcotics because he was sleepy, and if the officer found more, it would be behind the passenger seat, according to the report.
The following search of the vehicle began with the glove box, which found an EAA 0.38 caliber revolver. It was loaded with six 0.357 rounds. The report also mentioned an unused needle between the passenger door and the seat, as well as a burned glass pipe behind the passenger seat.
When Horstman learned about the handgun discovery, he claimed it belonged to his fiancée. He knew it was in the truck, but he assumed his fiancée had removed it. According to the report, the truck was also his designated workplace vehicle.
A review of his criminal history revealed that he had multiple felony offenses. According to the report, one was in Arizona for felony criminal damage to property on September 21, 2020, and the other was in Florida for grand theft on January 26, 2006.
Horstman was arrested for possessing a handgun by a convicted felon, ammunition by a convicted felon, methamphetamine, and drug paraphernalia. The California native was booked into the Lake County Jail, and bond was set at $3,500.
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