A Leesburg man with a firearm was arrested when he admitted to giving a fake name to deputies because he had a suspended license.
A deputy assisted with a traffic stop on Thomas Avenue and Griffin Road around 12:30 a.m. Monday, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Upon making contact with the driver, later identified as 28-year-old Malcolm Lamot Taylor, he stated that he did not have his driver’s license with him. Another deputy asked for his name, date of birth and the last four digits of his Social Security number instead. Taylor stuttered as he gave his first and last name but said he did not know his Social Security number, the report said.
The deputy checked the given name and date of birth, which revealed a driver’s license for a subject that looked similar to Taylor but did not look like the same person. The deputy then got his window tint meter and tested the front driver’s side window. It registered at 5% while the rear passenger’s side window registered at 8%, the report said.
While on scene, a deputy wrote Taylor a warning for the window tint violation. Another deputy advised the occupants that in the meantime, he would be walking his K-9 around the vehicle to conduct an open-air sniff for illegal narcotics. The K-9 ultimately alerted to the odor of narcotics, the report said.
The occupants were removed from the vehicle, at which time two deputies searched it. A loaded Hi Point 9mm handgun was in the center console. The butt of the handgun was facing straight up in the air with the barrel facing toward the trunk as if the driver got into the vehicle and placed the firearm in the center console with their right hand, the report said.
The front and back seat passengers both denied ownership of the gun and stated they had no knowledge of who it belonged to. After the search was finished, Taylor was detained. He stated he had never been arrested but ultimately changed his story to say he had been arrested in Kansas for DUI, the report said.
Taylor then admitted his real name, saying he only lied because his driver’s license was suspended. A criminal history check revealed he had four prior felony convictions and prior arrests for giving false information to law enforcement. His driving history showed a revocation and suspension from Aug. 2021. He also had five previous convictions for driving while his license was suspended, the report said.
Taylor was subsequently arrested on charges of possession of ammo by convicted felon, possession of firearm by convicted felon, driving while license suspended (habitual offender) and false ID/info given to law enforcement officer. He was transported to Lake County Jail with bond set at $33,500.
He was also arrested earlier this year in February when he ran from the cops after missing child support payments.