Sonora, CA – Spotting a vehicle with multiple equipment violations, a Sonora Police Department (SPD) officer pulled it over, and then a K-9 unit uncovered narcotics, resulting in the driver’s arrest.
The incident occurred on Fir Drive, off Mono Way in Sonora, on Friday, November 7th, just before 8 p.m. A record check identified the driver as 63-year-old Carl E. Gustafson of Tuolumne City and revealed that the Ford Flex SUV had a license plate for a Nissan.
According to the SPD, during a sniff search around the SUV, K9 Ridge alerted to the presence of narcotics. Inside the vehicle, 1.17 grams of suspected methamphetamine were uncovered along with a suspected narcotics pipe.
“K9 Ridge’s alert played a key role in helping officers safely locate the suspected narcotics,” praised the SPD.
Gustafson was arrested for displaying a false license plate, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of a controlled substance with two or more priors. Police advise that all can have felony enhancements under Proposition 36, which allows certain drug possession charges with prior convictions to be charged as felonies.
