A 48-year-old Ocala man was charged with driving with a suspended license and possession of drug paraphernalia after he was pulled over for having an expired license tag Sunday night.
Shortly before 7 p.m., a Marion County sheriff’s deputy observed a grey Chevy pickup traveling west along the 5000 block of East Silver Springs Boulevard with a license plate that had a registration sticker that expired in January 2020. The deputy conducted a traffic stop in front of the Citgo gas station at 5398 E. Silver Springs Blvd., according to the sheriff’s office report.
While speaking with the driver, later identified as Philip Russell Cutchineal, the deputy saw on the driver’s seat a large blue butane lighter often used in conjunction with glass smoking pipes. When asked for his license, Cutchineal said he didn’t have one because it was suspended, the report said.
The deputy asked Cutchineal if he had any drugs in the vehicle and he said he had a weed pipe. The deputy asked Cutchineal to step out of the vehicle and conducted a search. Under the center console, next to the driver’s seat, was a clear glass pipe with a white crystal-like substance that tested positive for methamphetamine. When asked if the pipe was his, Cutchineal did not want to answer the question, according to the report.
A search of Cutchineal’s driving record showed his license was currently suspended along with three prior suspensions. Cutchineal was the owner of the vehicle and his license tag was seized, the report said.
Cutchineal is being held in the Marion County Jail on $2,000 bond and will appear in Marion County Court on March 19.