A driver with a loaded gun in his vehicle was arrested with cocaine he claimed he uses to treat his “stomach ulcers.”
Jack William Rockwell, 62, of Fruitland Park, was at the wheel of a red Ford Expedition late Tuesday night when he was pulled over at Picciola Road and Sabal Palm Way in Fruitland Park for an expired vehicle registration, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
A black Ruger LCP .380-caliber semi-automatic handgun was spotted on the vehicle’s center console. The firearm was loaded with a live round in the chamber. Rockwell said he had recently come from the bank and “forgot to put his gun away,” according to the arrest report. He said he had a concealed carry permit and that was confirmed.
During a pat down, a small cylindrical container was found in the Ohio native’s pocket. It contained a white power which tested positive for cocaine. Rockwell said he uses the cocaine “to self-medicate because he suffers from stomach ulcers.”
A container of Ice Breaker gum was found in the vehicle and it also contained a white power as well as a cigarette that contained a green leafy substance. The substances were believed to be cocaine and marijuana. A torch lighter, “commonly used to liquify narcotics for consumption” was also found in the vehicle, the arrest report said.
Rockwell was arrested on charges of possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, unlawful open carry of a firearm and possession of a firearm while in commission of a felony. He was booked at the Lake County Jail on $10,000 bond.
