He told deputies he had done cocaine and was “just playing” with a firearm, the Hernando sheriff’s office said.

SPRING HILL – A Spring Hill man is facing multiple drug and weapons charges, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office said.

Leonamid Joseph Rivera, 21, of Spring Hill, was charged with three counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of cocaine, possession of firearm by felon, possession of ammunition by felon, and discharge of firearm in public.

Hernando County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the area of Lema Drive and Beck Street in Spring Hill about 2 p.m. Wesnesday (Aug. 22) for a report of an armed person in a residential area. The caller, a neighbor, told 9-1-1 call takers that a man was walking around in a yard in the area with a firearm, and that he had possibly fired off one or two rounds into the air.

When deputies arrived, they took up tactical positions around the Lema Drive residence where they said they saw a man whoo matched the description the caller provided standing in the doorway of the residence. Deputies ordered the man, later identified as Rivera, to drop the firearm. He complied and was taken into custody.

While Rivera was being placed into custody, other deputies conducted a safety sweep of the residence – to check for any injured persons. During the safety sweep, deputies said they saw a safe in plain view on the kitchen counter. The safe was open. Deputies said they could see a white, powdery substance in a clear plastic bag inside the safe.

The white, powdery substance was collected by deputies and tested on scene. The substance tested positive for cocaine. Further testing will be completed the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to confirm the results. The substance weighed 23.1 grams.

Also inside the safe were a box of ammunition and a drinking straw. Deputies said Rivera told them that he used the straw to snort cocaine at around 11:30 a.m. Deputies said Rivera also told them, “I did cocaine, and I was just playing with it.”  Rivera confirmed that “it” meant the firearm.

Rivera told deputies that he received the firearm from a relative who passed away several months ago. Deputies said Rivera also told them that he was out on bond from a previous felony case in which he also violated his probation.

Deputies said a criminal history check on Rivera shows that he is a convicted felon,and not permitted to own and/or possess a firearm or ammunition.

Rivera was taken to Bayfront Health Spring Hill to be medically cleared before he was taken to the Hernando County Detention Center.

Hernando Sheriff | Crime | Arrests | Tampabay News

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