CITRUS COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – A bike, a bookbag and a bunch of meth… all part of the bizarre chain of events the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) says landed a Lecanto man in jail on meth trafficking charges.
On Wednesday, Aug. 30, just hours after Hurricane Idalia devastated coastal parts of Citrus County, deputies responded to a call from a local business regarding a suspicious bag containing what appeared to be narcotics and drug paraphernalia. They say a man turned the bag into an employee claiming he found it at the business.
When deputies got on the scene, the searched the bag. Inside, they say they found multiple small plastic bags containing over 65 grams of meth. They say the bag also contained a black scale with meth residue and a glass pipe.
To further investigate, deputies reviewed surveillance footage which they say showed a man arriving at the store on a bike with the bookbag on his back. They say he placed the bookbag in a cart, and after walking through the store, handed in to an employee stating that he found the bookbag.
Later, they say the man returned to the store to get the bookbag. That’s when they arrested 52-year-old Richard Garrett of Lecanto and charged him with one count of trafficking methamphetamine and one count of possession of paraphernalia.
“CCSO is dedicated to serving and protecting the citizens of Citrus County, even during a major hurricane,” said Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast. “I am proud of my team for starting and finishing this investigation in a matter of hours, helping rid our streets of this dangerous narcotic.”
Garrett is being held at the Citrus County Detention Center on a $51,000 bond.