A Fruitland Park man was nabbed after jogging into a store to dodge charges for driving with a suspended license and possessing narcotics.
Around 3 p.m. Monday, an officer on patrol saw 40-year-old Jonathan Patrick Lucas exiting the dirt road off Luda Dare Drive in a white Nissan sedan, according to the Leesburg Police Department’s arrest report. This neighborhood had a high level of drug activity.
As the officer passed the vehicle, he recognized Lucas as a habitual traffic offender with a suspended driver’s license, according to the report. He had nine outstanding court financial responsibilities, six penalties for unpaid traffic fines, three criminal failures to pay, a restricted substance charge, a cancelation, and a suspension. These violations ranged from March 2018 to August 2026.
The vehicle then turned southbound on County Road 468, leading the police to perform a U-turn. It then made the first direct turn into the Leesburg Supermarket parking lot at 900 CR 468. According to the complaint, Lucas exited his truck and jogged into the store while the officer parked behind it.
Lucas soon exited the store, carrying a plastic grocery bag. He denied driving without a license, claiming he had been “staying out of trouble.” He eventually admitted he was driving and went into the store to escape being caught. According to the report, he also indicated that the vehicle was leased rather than owned by him, and that the keys were inside the grocery bag.
A subsequent inventory of the vehicle uncovered a plastic flip-top baggie containing 4.9 grams of fentanyl in the center console. There found additional more baggies and a glass smoking device containing burned narcotic residues. According to the investigation, a black zipped bag included a new glass smoking pipe, a multitool with burned brown residue, and additional baggies for storing narcotics.
Lucas was arrested for fentanyl trafficking, possession of drug paraphernalia, and driving with a suspended license (habitual offender). He was booked into the Lake County Jail without bond.
The New York native was also detained in January for alleged drug selling. Previous accusations included stealing a scooter in August 2023, driving with a suspended license in August 2022, and swapping tags at Walmart in June 2022.
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