An Apopka man known as a habitual traffic offender was arrested after police caught him driving with an expired tag.
Police spotted a silver Dodge van stopped in the center westbound lane of County Road 48 with what appeared to be an expired tag at 8:43 a.m. Monday, according to an arrest report from the Florida Highway Patrol.
The driver, 41-year-old Justin Alan Young, quickly changed into the right turn lane and began traveling north on U.S. Hwy 27 before the officer could run the tag. Young then turned into a private business driveway and pulled into a parking space for a Dollar General, the report said.
Prior to Young pulling into the parking space, the officer was able to confirm the tag had expired in January. In response to this discovery, the officer activated his emergency lights and instructed Young to sit in the back of his vehicle as he was starting to exit. He did so hesitantly, the report said.
After Young was back inside the vehicle, the officer asked him where he was headed, the report said. Young stated he was going to sell his plants, and he further explained that he pulled into the Dollar General to get a drink. The officer proceeded to ask Young for his driver’s license, to which he advised that it was suspended.
A background check was instead run using Young’s name and social security number, the report said. This revealed that Young had multiple suspensions to his license. He also had a case where he was adjudicated guilty for an offense that occurred in June 2021, and he was labeled a habitual traffic offender in January 2019 that carried a 5-year suspension of his license.
Young at one point told the officer that he was a habitual traffic offender but asked that he would not be taken to jail, the report said.
Despite this, Young was arrested and charged with driving while license suspended (habitual traffic offender). He was transported to the Lake County Jail and released after posting $1,000 bond.