A judge decided a Central Florida methamphetamine trafficking case after the defendant entered an open plea.
In the courtroom of the Honorable Judge Mary P. Hatcher, a jury was excused as the defendant in the case, 42-year-old Antoine Lamar Whitter, entered an open plea in his case. Whitter was charged and found guilty of Trafficking Methamphetamine and Possession of Cocaine.
“This case is just another example of our law enforcement partners’ keen observation and swift actions,” said Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Bill Gladson. “Thanks to their heightened awareness, we were able to prosecute another drug trafficker to keep them off our streets and clean up our community.”
Back in October of 2019, Whitter was arrested by Sumter County Sheriff’s Office deputies during a routine traffic stop. At around 3am, SCSO Deputy Moore was assisting Deputy Hinderhofer with a traffic stop when she spotted a vehicle speeding near the northbound 321 exit of Interstate 75. Deputy Moore paced the vehicle traveling at 82 miles per hour in a 70 mph zone. The deputy activated her lights and proceeded to conduct a separate traffic stop.
When the law enforcement officer approached the driver, later identified as Whitter, the deputy indicated the reason for the stop. A K9 unit was deployed during the traffic stop. While conducting an exterior sniff of the vehicle, the K9 officer alerted on the vehicle for the presence of illicit narcotics.
At that time, K9 Deputy Garrity secured Whitter and his passenger from the vehicle so Deputy Moore could conduct a search. During the search, authorities located large amounts of methamphetamine, cocaine, and some cannabis. There was also a scale, along with a medium-sized box of baggies in the vehicle, leading deputies to believe the drugs were being packaged and sold.
When questioned about the martinis found inside the vehicle, Whitter declined to speak with officials. Deputies then conducted a search of Whitter, which revealed he had $2,670 in cash in his right front pocket. The money was in multiple denominations of $100, $50 and $20 bills, which are consistent with that of illicit drug transactions. As a result, Whitter was placed under arrest.
The prosecution of this case was handled by Assistant State Attorneys Stephen Fern and Elizabeth Hart. The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on August 20, 2024.
