GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Both Michael Dewayne Middleton, age 46, and Joseph Patrick Suarez, age 49, were taken into custody yesterday following a traffic check on Interstate 75. Both men are from Miami.
Yesterday at approximately 7:30 in the evening, a deputy with the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office who is assigned to the ACTION Unit performed a traffic stop for following too closely.
It was alleged that Middleton was the driver of the vehicle, and he told the deputy that his girlfriend hired the car for him. His Florida identification card was his form of identification because he did not possess a valid driver’s license. He is wanted on a warrant out of Sumter County, and there is no bond set for him.
It has been stated that Middleton and his passenger, Suarez, presented contradictory accounts of their travel route when they were interviewed.
A positive alert for narcotics was given by an ASO K-9 team to the exterior of the vehicle, which led to a probable-cause search being conducted on the vehicle. It was stated that a deputy found the following items in the headliner of the vehicle: a window punch used to break car windows; 147 blank checks in bank envelopes; 18 filled-out but uncashed checks; 19 fictitious driver’s licenses from Florida, Maryland, and Washington; and U.S. passport cards. All of these items were found in the headliner of the vehicle.
There was a significant amount of overlap between the names on the fake driver’s licenses and the names on the checks, which added up to $15,685 in total. The majority of the addresses that were shown on the checks were incorrect ones.
In addition, the deputy stated that they discovered an unused hologram for the state of Florida as well as an unused hologram for the state of Maryland, all of which were prepared to be printed onto a fake identification card. A band envelope containing $11,200 in cash that had been wrapped in rubber bands and placed inside the band envelope was also discovered.
Reportedly, the images on the bogus driver’s licenses were similar to those of Suarez, and the names “Joe” and “Jo” were put on the exterior of two of the envelopes. According to the reports, the search also turned up a marijuana cigar.
Post Miranda, Middleton declined to talk. Before requesting legal representation, Suarez reportedly stated that he was unaware of the things discovered in the vehicle.
Both men have been charged with fraudulent possession of five or more identification cards, possession of tools for producing counterfeit driver’s licenses, possession of tools for producing fraudulent checks, possession of a forged note, possession of stolen driver’s licenses, theft of property under $20,000, forgery of a check, possession of burglary tools, and possession of fewer than 20 grams of marijuana. This is due to the fact that all items were within reach of both occupants of the car.
Middleton has been convicted of seven felony offenses, three of which were violent, and three minor offenses, none of which were violent. A warrant for his arrest has been issued in Sumter County, Florida, on charges of possessing marijuana and driving without a legal license.
Robbery charges brought against him in Palm Beach resulted in a state prison sentence of 18 months, which he completed and was freed from in 1998. The bond was imposed at $202,000 by Judge Thomas Jaworski.
Suarez has been found guilty of ten felony offenses (none of which involved violence) and nine minor offenses (none of which involved violence). In another county, a felony accusation against him is still pending. Judge Jaworski set bail at $202,000.
