Felon with ‘White Pride’ swastika tattoo ‘began to plea for a chance to ‘rat’ on someone,’ cop says

FRUITLAND PARK, Fla. – A speeding driver who may have been trying to avoid a ticket had much more to worry about, which was getting arrested again and charged with another felony.

A police officer “conducting stationary traffic patrol in the median” of a major road in Florida reported seeing a “Honda Element traveling at a high rate of speed” approach her on Nov. 1.

“The Honda activated its brakes,” she wrote in the arrest report, as she got moving “and start to catch up to the Honda. At this time, I observe the Honda changing lanes multiple times, seemingly in an attempt to avoid law enforcement.”

She caught up at a red light.

“During this time,” the officer continued, “I observed the driver, later identified as Rutger Armistead Mikell, known through previous law enforcement encounters, hereafter referred to as the defendant, make several furtive movements towards the center console area of the vehicle, then the floorboard on the driver’s side, even before I was directly behind the vehicle/initiated by emergency lights.

“Once the light changed, I positioned my marked patrol vehicle behind the Honda and conducted a traffic stop. The Honda turned onto [a street] but proceeded to inch forward while the defendant continued reaching around.

“I stop my patrol vehicle and approach the driver’s side.

“At this time, I observe the defendant to be reaching down towards the floorboard. I observed the blade of a sharp knife, so I immediately open the driver’s door so I could see the defendant’s hands, which were down towards the floorboard.

“Due to officer safety concerns, I request the defendant exit the vehicle to separate him from the knife. I informed the defendant of the reason for the stop.”

Then, she wrote, “Based on my previous law enforcement encounters with the defendant and the Honda, I requested consent to search the vehicle, to which the defendant granted explicit consent, stating there was ‘nothing in there.’

“During my search of the vehicle, I observed several pieces of burnt tin foil among the defendant’s clothing/tools in the hatch of the Honda and on the passenger side floorboard.”

Equating the burnt foil with drugs, “I ask the defendant what he has on his person, to which he advised he is denying consent to search his person.

“However, due to my discovery,” she explained, “I retrieve a piece of the burnt tin foil and field test the residue utilizing a Nik II test kit, which indicated a presumptive positive for fentanyl.

“I inform the defendant of this, to which he continues to argue and advise there is no reason to search his person. A probable cause search of the defendant’s person revealed several small pieces of a crystal-like substance within the defendant’s shoe.

“As the defendant lifted his foot, a small baggie containing a crystal-like substance was left on the ground that was not there moments earlier. The substance field-tested presumptive positive for methamphetamine and weighed approximately one gram, utilizing a digital scale.”

Mikell was arrested for possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia, but he had more to say.

“The defendant began to plea for a chance to ‘rat’ on someone in order to avoid the charges,” the officer reported, “to which I advised there is nothing that can be done about that right now.”

The arrest report did not say who he would inform on or for what crime, but Mikell has a history of charges involving meth.

In June 2021, he was arrested on a warrant for sale of methamphetamine and possession of meth with intent to sell.

“No access” to his arrest affidavit is allowed in this case, nor a second case from the same time, but a notice was filed with the court saying “the Florida Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution” would prosecute Mikell, rather than the local state attorney’s office.

Waiver of Rights and Plea Agreement, Nov. 22, 2021 by Lenny Cohen on Scribd

Five months later, he agreed to plead no contest to two counts of delivery of methamphetamine that could’ve gotten him 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine on each count.

It was a great deal for Mikell since he would serve 18 months of drug offender probation and avoid any more jail time, but it didn’t last.

Violation of Drug Offender Probation, June 29, 2022 by Lenny Cohen on Scribd

A urine sample he gave in June 2022 tested positive for methamphetamine, and authorities later learned he “was unsuccessfully discharged from the [drug treatment] program due to three back-to-back unexcused classes.”

The judge signed an arrest warrant and Mikell was arrested again about three months later, on Oct. 1, 2022.

Waiver of Rights and Plea Agreement, Nov. 22, 2022 by Lenny Cohen on Scribd

Then, in December 2022, he agreed to another plea deal, but this one included prison time: a year behind bars, and he ended up with 99 days credit for time served.

For his latest arrest involving methamphetamine, Mikell, 27, spent a day in jail, was released in lieu of $3,500, and he pleaded not guilty to both charges.

Also after Mikell’s arrest, his car was towed and he got a written warning for driving at 57 mph in a 50 mph zone.