An Anthony man was arrested recently after an Ocala Police officer spotted him driving a vehicle that had been reported stolen in Gainesville.
Officers stopped the red Jeep in a gas station parking lot in the area of Interstate 75 and N.W. Blitchton Road after confirming the tag number matched the stolen vehicle. The driver, 32-year-old Tralvaster Datrail Epps, was detained and placed in the rear seat of a patrol vehicle, a police report states.
Officers searched Epps’ vehicle and found a black handgun on the driver’s side floorboard. Officers reported that the weapon had a round in the chamber and 11 additional rounds in the magazine. Epps had a concealed weapons permit but officers confirmed that it was suspended, the report says.
Officers also located a black grocery-style bag in the center console that contained a large amount of currency and white substances that weighed 140 grams and tested positive for crack cocaine. A large quantity of prescription pills also was found inside the vehicle, the report says.
Epps was transported to the Marion County Jail and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia; theft of a motor vehicle; violation of bond conditions; possession of a concealed weapon; armed trafficking in crack cocaine and possession of a controlled substance.
During the investigation, it was determined that Epps recently had been arrested for domestic battery by strangulation. Per the conditions of his bond, he wasn’t allowed to be in possession of any weapons, the report says.