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Red Light Runner Charged with Drug-Related Crimes

scott John Galanick | Felix Lazaro Colarte | Hernando Sheriff

His passenger was also arrested, Hernando deputies said.

HERNANDO COUNTY – A driver and his passenger were arrested and charged with drug-related crimes after they were pulled over for running a red light, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office said.

Scott John Galanick, 36, of Brooksville, was charged with three counts of Drug Possession without a Prescription and one count each of Heroin Trafficking, Smuggling Contraband into a Correctional Facility, and Possession of Drug Equipment.

Felix Lazaro Colarte, 47, of Bushnell, was charged with two counts of Drug Possession without a Prescription, and one count each of Heroin Trafficking, Smuggling Contraband into a Correctional Facility, and Possession of Drug Equipment.

Just after 11 p.m. Saturday (March 23), Deputies Nicholas Feola and David Vargas were conducting proactive patrols in the area of Waterfall Drive in Spring Hill. They saw a black SUV fail to stop at the red light at the intersection at Waterfall Drive and Spring Hill Drive.

The deputies tried to stop the SUV, but the driver did not pull over until he reached the parking lot of the First United Methodist Church on Spring Hill Drive. The deputies said they saw numerous safe places to
pull over before the church parking lot. The deputies also noted that the driver and passenger were both moving around inside the SUV quite a bit before the driver pulled over.

Upon making contact with the occupants, deputies said they detected a faint odor of marijuana. The driver of the SUV, identified as Galanick, had an active Hernando County warrant for his arrest. Galanick was searched, incident to arrest, and placed into the back of a patrol car, which was also searched before Galanick was put inside.

The passenger in the SUV was identified as Colarte, who had hashish oil, deputies said. Colarte was also searched incident to arrest and placed in the same patrol car with Galanick.

Both were taken to the Hernando County Detention Center.

Upon arrival at the detention center, deputies said they found a small bag of methamphetamine on the seat of the patrol car in between Galanick and Colarte.

Once inside the detention facility, detention deputies conducted a strip search on both arrestees.

During the strip search of Galanick, detention deputies said they found a clear plastic bag that contained a small green plastic baggie that contained 8.55 grams of methamphetamine, and two small clear plastic baggies that contained 5.33 grams and 5.29 grams of heroin in each. Deputies said they found three tabletsin as blue baggie that were later confirmed to be Diazepam and seven tablets confirmed to be Alprazolam.

All items were removed from Galanick’s rectum.

During the strip search of Colarte, detention deputies said, they located a clear plastic baggie that contained several smaller blue plastic baggies. The smaller baggies contained 9.56 grams of heroin, 12.85 grams of heroin, and 5.87 grams of methamphetamine.

The larger baggie, containing all of the smaller baggies, was protruding from Colarte’s rectum at the time of the search, deputies said.

Photo shows Scott John Galanick, left, and Felix Lazaro Colarte.

Hernando Sheriff | Crime | Arrests | Tampabay News

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