A routine traffic stop on East Turner Camp Road in Inverness turned into a high-speed chase Wednesday after a driver with a suspended license sped past other vehicles instead of pulling over, ending only when deputies forced the car to spin out with a precision immobilization technique maneuver. Inside, investigators say they found nearly a pound of methamphetamine, a loaded handgun with an extended magazine, and three other drugs packed into a backpack.
According to the Citrus County Sheriff's Office, deputies were in the East Turner Camp Road area of Inverness on Wednesday when they spotted a vehicle driven by someone known to have a suspended license. When they activated their emergency lights for a stop, the driver fled, passing other vehicles before deputies used the PIT maneuver to bring the car to a stop. The Turner Camp Road Public Boat Ramp is on the Withlacoochee River, a popular freshwater recreation spot.
The vehicle had four occupants. A sheriff's office K9 gave a free-air sniff and alerted to narcotics, and the subsequent search turned up illegal drugs and a loaded firearm, per the sheriff's office account.
Backpack Held Three Different Drugs
Detectives located a backpack under the front passenger seat, where 25-year-old Amari Lorenz Jones had been sitting. Inside were multiple clear plastic baggies containing crack cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl, the sheriff's office said. In total, authorities seized 2 grams of crack cocaine, 0.9 grams of fentanyl, and one 10mg oxycodone pill from the vehicle, along with one firearm — a loaded 9mm handgun fitted with an extended 31-round magazine.
Jones was arrested and charged with four counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Under Florida Statute § 790.23, that charge is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in state prison, and actual physical possession of a firearm by a felon triggers a mandatory minimum three-year sentence, according to Richard Hornsby's website.
Driver Faces Trafficking Charge Over Nearly a Pound of Meth
The driver, 21-year-old Michael James Willis, was found with a digital scale and a baggie containing 17.4 grams of methamphetamine, the sheriff's office reported. Detectives also located 416.9 grams of methamphetamine concealed under the driver's seat, bringing the total meth seized in the stop to 443.8 grams.
Willis was arrested and charged with trafficking in methamphetamine, fleeing and eluding with lights and sirens activated, possession of crack cocaine, and driving while his license was suspended or revoked. That quantity of methamphetamine pushes the case into Florida's highest drug trafficking tier under Florida Statute § 893.135, which carries a mandatory minimum 15-year prison sentence and a $250,000 fine, according to Online Sunshine. Separately, the fleeing charge carries its own mandatory consequences — a conviction under Florida Statute § 316.1935 requires a driver's license suspension of one to five years and bars judges from withholding adjudication, per Demmery Law.
Sheriff Credits Deputies' Vigilance
Sheriff David Vincent said the case demonstrated strong communication and excellent teamwork among patrol deputies. He added that the amount of drugs seized underscored the importance of deputies' vigilance on routine patrols.
Both Jones and Willis are being held without bond at the Citrus County Detention Facility in Lecanto.
Other Citrus County Drug Cases
Citrus County deputies found fentanyl hidden in a tree during a search warrant on East Perch Court in Inverness, where a 29-year-old man now faces up to 20 years in prison. Earlier this year, a SWAT-backed raid in Crystal River turned up 31.4 grams of fentanyl and 29 grams of methamphetamine.
Statewide, methamphetamine-related deaths fell 24% year-over-year according to Florida Department of Law Enforcement data released in late 2025, with total overdose deaths statewide dropping to 4,958 in 2024.
