3 days ago
Florida man arrested on sex abuse charges, drug possession
Police found 16 kilos of cocaine and 50 pounds of meth in the SUV of a Florida man already facing sexual abuse charges on Wednesday during a traffic stop on the Indiana Toll Road, the Lake County Sheriff's Department announced in a release.
Around 11:30 a.m. May 28, a Lake County officer with the department's Highway Interdiction Unit pulled over a Chevrolet Tahoe SUV heading east near Westville on the toll road for following too closely and failing to maintain the lane of travel, Sheriff's Department Spokeswoman Pam Jones said in a release. When the officer ran the driver's license, he found the man was wanted through the Miami-Dade County, Florida Sheriff's Office for sexual battery of a minor and child molestation, she said.
Officers then conducted a search of the SUV and found 16 kilos of cocaine and 50 pounds of meth in a cooler and suitcase located inside the vehicle, Jones said.
Police arrested 39-year-old Yohan Ponce Riera, of Ocala, Florida, where he also awaits federal charges through the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
'I commend the outstanding work of our officers for the quick and decisive arrest of a dangerous suspect traveling through our area,' Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. said in the release. 'These police officers also seized a significant amount of narcotics that will never threaten our communities now.
'The Lake County Sheriff's Department remains steadfast in our ongoing efforts to find those who traffic illegal drugs and bring them to justice.'
