An Ocala man was arrested on a multitude of drug and firearms charges after being stopped by an Ocala Police officer early Wednesday morning.
The officer stopped the 2006 Chevrolet Impala, driven by 25-year-old Lyndell Nashad Thomas, in the 2000 block of NW 3rd Street because a computer check revealed that he didn’t have a valid driver’s license, an Ocala Police report states.
As soon as his vehicle came to a stop, Thomas grabbed a black backpack and fled on foot heading south, away from NW 3rd Street through a wooded area, the report says, adding that the officer gave Thomas multiple commands to stop running but he continued to flee.
As the officer drew his taser from his utility belt, Thomas stumbled to the ground, then got back up and attempted to flee again. The officer then deployed his taser, with one prong sticking in Thomas’ left leg calf area and the other toward the middle of his back. Thomas again fell to the ground and dropped the backpack between his legs and followed the officer’s commands to put his hands behind his back, the report says.
During a subsequent search, the officer found a black semi-automatic 9mm Taurus Model No. 709 handgun in Thomas’ pants pocket. The pistol “had one round in the chamber and a loaded magazine with 6 rounds,” the report says, adding that a computer check showed the weapon had been reported stolen out of Alachua County.
A search of Thomas’ backpack revealed “multiple clear baggies with suspected drugs and drug paraphernalia inside” them. Those included:
- A gray Adidas lunch box contained several clear baggies with a green leafy substance that tested positive for marijuana with an estimated weight of 93 grams;
- $191 in an inside a front pocket of the lunch box;
- Clear baggies containing a white powdery substance that field tested positive for heroin and Fentanyl, with an estimated weight of 27 grams;
- A clear baggie containing a gray powdery substance that field tested positive for heroin with an estimated weight of four grams;
- Several clear baggies containing an off-white rock-like crystalline substance that tested positive for methamphetamine weighing 36 grams;
- A clear baggie containing a pink crystalline substance that also had several of the crystals prepackaged in smaller baggies, which tested positive for amphetamine and weighed 17 grams;
- A baggie containing a blue powdery substance that tested positive for amphetamine weighing 10 grams;
- A baggie containing a pink powdery substance that tested positive for amphetamine;
- A baggie containing an orange pill-shaped substance that tested positive for amphetamine;
- Two clear baggies containing a white powder-like substance that tested positive for cocaine weighing about 11 grams;
- A clear baggie containing two white pills identified as Oxycodone;
- A digital scale with a white powder residue on it; and
- Multiple clear sandwich bags and small red, clear baggies.
A criminal history check revealed that Thomas had two previous felony convictions for possession of cocaine and was driving on a suspended license, the report says.
Thomas was taken into custody and transported to the Marion County Jail, where he was charged with resisting an officer without violence, armed trafficking in methamphetamine (14 grams or over), armed possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, armed trafficking in heroin (four grams to under 30 kilograms), armed possession of cocaine, armed trafficking in amphetamine (14 grams or more), carrying a concealed firearm, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a stolen firearm, possession of a controlled substance (Schedule 2) and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was being held with no bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 4 at 9 a.m. to answer to the 11 charges.
Thomas also is no stranger to the Marion County legal system. Jail records show that he’s been housed in the jail four times since July 2011. His most recent arrest prior to Wednesday came in January and also involved multiple drug and firearms charges.