An Ocala man is facing multiple charges after being pulled over by a Marion County sheriff’s deputy for driving through a red light.
When the deputy made contact with 56-year-old Brett Allen Amerine after stopping him recently in the 4400 block of S.W. Hwy. 484, he admitted he didn’t have a valid driver’s license and the vehicle wasn’t registered to him, a sheriff’s office report states.
The deputy reported smelling alcohol on Amerine’s breath and he said he had been drinking prior to being stopped. He then produced an open, still-cold half-empty can of beer from the console area of his vehicle, the report says.
The deputy also reported smelling raw marijuana and Amerine admitted he had the drug inside his vehicle. He gave deputies a black plastic case that contained marijuana, a loaded hypodermic needle containing a clear liquid that field-tested positive for methamphetamine and a clear rock-like substance that also tested positive for methamphetamine, the report says.
After Amerine was placed in handcuffs, deputies searched his vehicle and found what appeared to be two vaporizer pen cartridges that tested positive for THC oil, a portable black scale and another small amount of marijuana in a small black backpack and an empty cigarette package, the report says.
A records check showed that Amerine’s license had been suspended on May 14, 2020 for failing to take care of a financial responsibility. After being read his rights, Amerine said he was purchasing the vehicle from a friend. He said he had received it about six months earlier and was still making payments. He said he hadn’t yet received the title and hadn’t registered the vehicle, the report says, adding that a search of the vehicle’s identification number confirmed there was no current license tag assigned to it.
Amerine, who lives in the 7500 block of S. U.S. Hwy. 441 in Ocala, was placed under arrest and transported to the Marion County Jail, where he was charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, possession of marijuana over 20 grams, possession and/or use of drug equipment, driving with license suspended or revoked (third or subsequent violation) and failure to register a motor vehicle. He was being held on no bond and is due in court June 8 at 9 a.m., jail records show.