A cleaning crew member was detained after stealing vials from an eye surgery center in The Villages.
An officer performed a wellness check at Wawa, 11770 N U.S. 301, around 9 a.m. Thursday, according to an arrest report from the Wildwood Police Department. Dispatch reported that 42-year-old William Lewis Fishbaugh of Ocklawaha was slumped over and unresponsive inside a white pickup truck at a gas pump.
When the officer arrived, he discovered Fishbaugh asleep in the driver’s seat, with no shirt. He then awoke and stated that he had just gotten off work after cleaning medical operating rooms at two different sites, and he was exhausted after working overnight. He also claimed to have misplaced his wallet and couldn’t find his driver’s license, according to the report.
The officer returned to his police car to retrieve a notebook, and as he walked back, he noticed Fishbaugh moving items around in the cab of his truck. This involved inserting a little baggie into a pair of cowboy boots in the passenger seat. He later denied having drugs in the truck but revealed a pepper-ball launcher, according to the report.
When queried about the boots, he turned them over to the officer for inspection. When the officer asked what was inside, he replied that it was a “needle” from his testosterone hormone replacement therapy. However, the packet found within the left boot contained methamphetamine, according to the report.
Fishbaugh stated it was from the bathroom of a blind man who resided in the house he was cleaning. He noticed it on top of a bathroom mirror and placed it in his boot. According to the report, the officer then proceeded to search him and his vehicle.
He initially noticed a blue tied-off medical glove with four vials labeled “fentanyl 100 mg/2 mL.” They appeared to have been used, yet still contained clear contents. Fishbaugh initially reported them as trash but subsequently stated that they were picked up from the floor when dumping a trash can at work, according to the report.
The truck had a box of 305 cigarettes and many small tin foil bundles in the center console. One of the shipments contained methamphetamine, while two others contained cocaine. Law enforcement located an unopened vial labeled 50 mg/mL of ephedrine sulfate, a metal spoon with white residue, and a digital scale with additional white residue, according to the report.
A black rucksack on the passenger seat contained a tin foil bundle and several cellophane baggies, indicating the sale of narcotics. The baggies held powdered residue. Another tin foil box contained methamphetamine. The report also stated that the vehicle included a white Samsung tablet and two phones.
The pepper-ball launcher referenced by Fishbaugh was discovered underneath the driver’s seat. It was judged to be orange and black. Prepared to Protect HDP 50 C Generation 2. The investigation stated that Fishbaugh, a convicted felon, should not have had this in his possession.
Fishbaugh was later checked on the scene by EMS and transferred to Trailwinds ER for additional treatment. After being discharged, he stated that he took the four vials from a trash can at Ocala Eye Surgery Center, 3102 CR 507, The Villages, while at work. According to the report, he owned the contraband found on the scene and acknowledged purchasing narcotics with the purpose of reselling them.
Fishbaugh was arrested on allegations of possessing methamphetamine with intent to sell, cocaine with intent to sell, fentanyl, ephedrine sulfate, a convicted felon’s chemical weapon, and drug paraphernalia, as well as four counts of grand theft of a controlled substance and a DUI warrant. He was booked into the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, and bond was set at $22,000.
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