An Ocala man with a jaded history behind the wheel was arrested Monday after being stopped for driving a vehicle with no taillights.
A Marion County sheriff’s deputy stopped a blue Toyota Camry driven by 36-year-old Jason Matthew Cozzens shortly before 10:30 p.m. on E Silver Springs Boulevard. Cozzens gave the deputy his Florida identification card and said he didn’t have a valid driver’s license, a sheriff’s office report states.
A computer background check showed that Cozzen’s license had been suspended in March 2016 for five years and he was listed as a habitual traffic offender. The deputy confirmed the suspension was still active and then took Cozzens into custody, the report says.
Cozzens, who lives at 2304 NE 36th St. in Ocala, was charged with driving while license suspended (habitual offender) and a warrant for contempt of court on back child support of $839.66. He is due in court Aug. 6 at 9 a.m.
Cozzens is no stranger to the Marion County legal system, having been held in the jail four times since March 2014. During those arrests, he’s faced charges of unarmed burglary of an unoccupied conveyance and driving while license suspended or revoked, as well as a litany of drug charges.