FRUITLAND PARK, Fla. – A young man’s trouble with the law may be his own doing, but he could also make a case against his friends for getting caught.
On the evening of Oct. 15th, a police officer in Florida saw
a Chevrolet Silverado’s “left tag lamp was missing the reflector, and was shining white light toward the rear of the vehicle.”
Then, “It made a turn into the rightmost lane, instead of the left lane, and immediately began driving over the fog line on the right side of the road. I initiated a traffic stop.”
The driver was identified, “the front seat passenger initially refused to identify himself,” and the passenger in the back was later identified as Austin Joseph Esteves.
The officer got a K9 partner to conduct “a free air sniff” around the pickup truck, and the dog alerted to the odor of narcotics.
“The front seat passenger denied consent to search his person,” the arrest report said.
Esteves, on the other hand, “consented to a search, at which point I located a multitude of assorted drug paraphernalia, including small plastic baggies with and without suspected narcotic residue, as well as several folded pieces of tin foil, several cut straws containing white powder residue, a smoking device (pipe), and a syringe,” the officer wrote. “All of these items were located in [Esteves’] pockets. [Esteves] was placed into handcuffs,” but he was not arrested.
Then, authorities conducted “a probable cause search of the vehicle” and reported finding “a metal pin that had a burnt residue on one end. This pin was positioned on the front passenger seat and later tested positive for the presence of MDMA and methamphetamine.”
That’s when the front passenger was finally identified. He reportedly “provided consent to a search of his person; however, no illegal items were located.”
Online records show the front passenger has faced criminal charges several times in Lake County, but not since 2018. He was not charged for refusing to identify himself in the beginning.
The driver had been arrested five times, including a month-and-a-half before the traffic stop. Each of his arrests involved possession of methamphetamine. The records show he didn’t even get a ticket for the bad light or his driving.
Only Esteves was in trouble that night.
He was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor, and he signed a Notice to Appear in court a few weeks later, on Nov. 5.
But Esteves didn’t, and the situation became a lot more serious.
His arrest two years ago involved a girlfriend who was 12 years older than him.
A police officer “conducted a property check” on the morning of Jan. 27, 2023, “in reference to the property owner believing subjects broke into the residence.
“Upon arrival, I was met at the front door by” the girlfriend,” the officer wrote. “I informed [the girlfriend] the reasoning I was there. [The girlfriend] stated she was the new owner of the house, and the house was given to her due to the damages needing to be repaired. [She] stated her boyfriend Austin Esteves, now known as the defendant, and herself are the sole occupants of the residence.”
The cop probably didn’t believe the girlfriend’s explanation.
“The defendant was located sleeping in a room in the residence,” he wrote next. “I woke the defendant up and detained him.”
The officer reported asking “the defendant about occupying the residence without consent. The defendant stated he did not know he could not be in the residence.”
Then, he reported speaking “to the actual owner of the property,” who said nobody should’ve been there. “I informed the property owner that multiple subjects were found in the residence. The property owner advice he wanted the subjects removed from the residence, and wanted to prosecute for burglary.”
He got that and more.
“Where the defendant was found sleeping,” the cop wrote, “I located a pair of pants containing multiple hypodermic needles with blood and aluminum foil. The defendant stated that the items I located were his, and he would take the blame for them.
“I asked the defendant about a mirror I located with a white powdery substance that field tested positive for methamphetamine. The defendant stated he had no knowledge of the mirror, but his girlfriend and him are the sole occupants of that room.”
To make matters even worse, “The defendant was using power in multiple areas of the residence,” the arrest report said. “SECO Electric stated the services at the residence were unlawfully being used, and SECO Electric stated that they were prosecuting for theft of services.”
Esteves was charged with burglary to an unoccupied dwelling, theft of utility services, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Announcement of No Information, Feb. 16, 2023 by Lenny Cohen on Scribd
On Feb. 16, prosecutors dropped the electricity charge, writing, “There is insufficient evidence to prove one or more elements of the crime charged.”
Meanwhile, Esteves spent five weeks in jail until he was released on his own recognizance, and his case was moved to misdemeanor court.
Final Judgment Assessing Fees, Service Charges, Costs, and Fines, June 21, 2023 by Lenny Cohen on Scribd
Finally, on June 21, Esteves took a plea deal for the other charges and was sentenced to time served, plus hundreds of dollars of court costs.
His girlfriend was arrested on the same charges, plus tampering with an electric meter. She eventually got probation.
Court Order for Arrest Warrant, Nov. 5, 2024 by Lenny Cohen on Scribd
The judge in Esteves’ current case issued an arrest warrant when he didn’t show up in November.
Then, it took more than two months, but Esteves was caught in Marion County on Jan. 15 for failure to appear. He spent four days behind bars there and was returned to Lake County, where his bond was set at $2,000, but he has neither paid it nor been released.
Esteves, 22, is due back in court next Thursday, Feb. 20.
4 MORE K9 CAPERS:
Discover more from CohenConnect.com
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
