Sheriff: Lakewood Ranch man facing drug charges after heroin deal spotted behind McDonald's

EAST MANATEE -- A 19-year-old Lakewood Ranch teen is facing drug charges after he was seen taking part in a drug deal behind a McDonald's in East Manatee, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.

Austin Caballero was arrested at 2:04 p.m. Tuesday and is charged with possession of heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to reports. He was released from the Manatee County jail Wednesday on bonds totaling $1,000.

The sheriff's office received an anonymous complaint Tuesday afternoon after the witness believed they had seen a drug deal behind the McDonald's at 7185 State Road 70 E. The witness gave deputies the tag number of the blue Acura they had seen nearby.

When a deputy arrived at the McDonald's, he saw the Acura and Caballero sitting in the driver's seat, the reports state. As the deputy approached, Caballero dropped a baggie on the floor of the car and a hypodermic needle was spotted on his lap, the report states.

Caballero told the deputy that he had just injected a small amount of heroin that he had bought for $30, the arrest report states. The baggie was used to separate the heroin to keep him from using too much heroin at one time he told the deputy.

At the time of his arrest, Caballero was in a pre-trial intervention program for a possession of marijuana charge. In a letter dated Thursday, the program notified Caballero, the court and the State Attorney's Office that he failed to complete the program based on his new arrest and he will be summoned to court to face prosecution.

This story was originally published August 21, 2015 at 5:08 PM with the headline "Sheriff: Lakewood Ranch man facing drug charges after heroin deal spotted behind McDonald's ."