State troopers pulled over a man in a rental car and found he had the interior “configured like a police vehicle” and was also driving with his 3-year-old daughter and drugs, according to a report from Florida Highway Patrol.
Troopers pulled the man over just after 3:30 p.m. on May 1 on State Road 400 in Seffner, according to the report.
Troopers noticed the vehicle had tint on its windows that appeared darker than the legal limit, the report says. Also, when a trooper ran the vehicle’s plate, an alert came up saying the vehicle was connected to a prior call about a person impersonating law enforcement, according to highway patrol.
Once the driver pulled over and a trooper approached the vehicle, the trooper noticed “emergency lights mounted in the front window, a computer stand with a laptop computer on it, and other police related accessories,” the report says.
There was also a young girl in the car, whom authorities later identified as the man’s 3-year-old daughter, according to highway patrol.
A trooper smelled marijuana and saw a “green leafy” residue in the center console, the report says.
While searching the vehicle, troopers found a holstered 9mm handgun, two badges that said “law enforcement” and had the seal of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on them, and a police-style body camera, according to the report. They also found “several bags” of white powder and a “white, rock-like substance”; a bag with 21 white pills; a bag with less than 20 grams of loose marijuana; and other drug paraphernalia, the report says.
The green leafy substance field-tested positive for marijuana, and the powder and rock-like substance were found to be cathinone, a synthetic stimulant, according to the report.
The man’s girlfriend came to pick up the child, and the man was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, according to Florida Highway Patrol.
The man, who is 37, is charged with “false personation;” unlawful use of blue light; owning, leasing or renting a vehicle for the purpose of trafficking, selling or manufacturing a controlled substance; possession of less than 20 grams of cannabis; trafficking in 7-14 grams of oxycodone; possession of drug paraphernalia; and possession of a controlled substance, according to the report.
He is being held on a $22,500 bond, according to jail records.
Seffner is about 15 miles northeast of Tampa.