- March 2, 2025
Volusia County Sheriff's Deputies stopped a stolen truck near Ormond Beach Thursday, discovering it contained supplies used to make methamphetamine.
BY THE OBSERVER STAFF
The truck had a broken tag light, so Volusia County Sheriff's deputies conducted a stop about 7 p.m. Thursday. But they got more than they bargained for after running the vehicle's plate number and discovering the truck had been reported stolen out of Hillsborough County.
Chemicals and materials commonly used in the creation of methamphetamine were also found under the truck's back seat.
The driver, 27-year-old Robert Ray, was arrested for grand theft of a motor vehicle and manufacture of methamphetamine. The 2001 Ford F-150 was pulled over on Fleming Avenue.
In the truck with Ray were a man and woman from Ormond Beach, who said they had just caught a ride with Ray but didn't know him. Ray, from Plant City, also said he had no idea the truck was stolen, since it's his everyday vehicle. He was in Volusia County to see the beach, he added.
Upon learning that the truck was reported stolen, deputies searched inside and found suspicious bottles, hoses and chemicals that are commonly associated with the making of methamphetamine. The Clandestine Methamphetamine Laboratory Response Team was called in to dismantle and safely remove the materials.
Ray was arrested and booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail, in Daytona Beach, without incident.
