A traffic stop over an improper license plate on North 56th Street near East Busch Boulevard in Temple Terrace ended with a 43-year-old man facing multiple felony charges after deputies say they found cocaine, drug paraphernalia, a handcuff key, ammunition and a gold-plated rifle inside his car. Carlois Hill, described by investigators as a three-time convicted felon, was arrested just before 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, deputies pulled Hill over for the plate violation and quickly discovered he was driving with no valid license. The agency's post notes that Hill has three prior convictions for driving while license suspended, a history that carries its own legal weight. Under Florida Statute § 322.34, a driver with two or more prior convictions from specified major traffic violations who is caught driving on a suspended or revoked license can face a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine, according to Online Sunshine.
A three-time convicted felon has been arrested following a traffic stop after deputies discovered cocaine, drug paraphernalia, and a firearm.
— HCSO (@HCSOSheriff) September 3, 2026
On September 2, 2026, just before 7 p.m., #teamHCSO deputies stopped a vehicle on North 56th Street near East Busch Boulevard in Temple… pic.twitter.com/whVS9ubZfV
The search of Hill's vehicle turned up far more than an expired license. Deputies reported finding cocaine and drug paraphernalia, along with a concealed handcuff key, ammunition, and a gold-plated rifle. Possession of cocaine in any amount is a third-degree felony in Florida under Statute § 893.13, carrying up to five years in prison, five years of probation, a $5,000 fine and a mandatory two-year driver's license suspension, per Online Sunshine. The paraphernalia charge is a separate, lesser offense — a first-degree misdemeanor under Florida Statute § 893.147, punishable by up to a year in county jail and a $1,000 fine.
A Handcuff Key and a Felon's Gun Exposure
The presence of a concealed handcuff key adds a distinct legal wrinkle to Hill's case. Florida Statute § 843.021 makes it a third-degree felony, carrying up to five years in prison, for a person in law enforcement custody or detainment to possess one — a law enacted specifically to prevent escape attempts during arrest or transport, according to Online Sunshine.
Because Hill is a convicted felon, the rifle recovered from his vehicle exposes him to some of the toughest penalties on the books. Florida Statute § 790.23 makes it a second-degree felony for a felon to possess a firearm, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, with a three-year mandatory minimum sentence if the weapon was in the person's actual physical possession, Online Sunshine reports.
Part of a Broader HCSO Crackdown
The Temple Terrace stop fits a pattern the sheriff's office has leaned into heavily this year. HCSO runs specialized units, including a Strategic Gun Intelligence Unit and a Gunfire Response Investigations Team, aimed at targeting illegal firearms, repeat offenders and armed narcotics cases across the county. Just days earlier, on August 26, that Strategic Gun Intelligence Unit seized nine ounces of cocaine during a traffic stop that led to a search warrant uncovering 16.2 pounds of cocaine, automatic conversion devices and five firearms — a case Hoodline covered in its report on the Plant City cocaine and gun bust.
It's not the only similar case in recent memory. In August, an East Tampa traffic stop escalated into an aviation-assisted chase and the arrest of a felon father and his 17-year-old son on felony gun charges after deputies recovered a handgun with a defaced serial number. In May, a stop on North Armenia Avenue in Tampa led to a search warrant uncovering five firearms, ammunition and steel-plated body armor. And back in June, deputies conducting a late-night stop in Temple Terrace near Harney Road and Morris Bridge Road arrested a convicted felon after finding two handguns, including one reported stolen, and marijuana in his car — a case detailed in Hoodline's earlier report on the stolen gun found in Temple Terrace.
Hill was charged with several felonies stemming from Wednesday's stop, though the sheriff's office has not detailed the full list of counts beyond the firearm, drug and license violations described in its post. It remains unclear whether the State Attorney's Office will pursue enhanced sentencing based on Hill's prior felony record, or whether the seized rifle could trigger federal review under felon-in-possession statutes.
