WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – A simple traffic violation Monday night turned into a significant drug bust for Winter Haven police, landing three people behind bars on a slew of felony charges.
The incident began around 9:28 p.m. when a patrol officer spotted a black Jeep Gladiator making an improper left turn onto First St. N near Ave. R NE. When the officer approached the vehicle to speak with the driver, the stop quickly shifted from a traffic citation to a narcotics investigation.
According to the arrest report, officers found 73-year-old Theodore Parker of Haines City behind the wheel. While speaking with Parker, police reportedly spotted a glass pipe sitting in plain view in the center console.
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Officers removed all three occupants from the Jeep. As Parker stepped out, a white, rock-like substance fell from the driver’s seat onto the floorboard. Police said the substance tested positive for cocaine, establishing probable cause to search the entire vehicle.
The search uncovered more narcotics hidden in the back seat. Officers found a jacket that 40-year-old Stephanie Lee Jackson had been seen handling moments earlier. inside a pocket, police discovered a disassembled pen that tested positive for cocaine residue. They also found a sealed plastic bottle containing 22.7 grams of a pink liquid. The label identified the substance as Methadone HCL, but the prescription belonged to someone who was not in the vehicle.
The front passenger, 45-year-old Omar Rivera, consented to a search of his person. Officers allegedly found a white rock-like substance in his front pocket, along with a ginseng bottle, which police noted is commonly used to introduce crack cocaine into the body.
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Rivera’s troubles worsened during transport. After being taken to the booking facility, deputies discovered he had retrieved a pipe previously concealed in his underwear and moved it to his pocket.
All three suspects were booked into the Polk County Sheriff’s Processing Center on the following charges:
- Stephanie Lee Jackson (Winter Haven): Trafficking in Methadone, Possession of Cocaine, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
- Theodore Parker (Haines City): Possession of Cocaine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
- Omar Rivera (Winter Haven): Possession of Cocaine, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Introduction of Contraband to a Detention Facility.
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