Stolen mail, methamphetamine found in stolen truck, Atwater police say

One man was arrested early Thursday and another was cited before being released after Atwater police found stolen mail and methamphetamine in a stolen vehicle during a traffic stop, the Police Department reported.

The driver, Jeffrey Heberline, 35, of Atwater, was booked into the Merced County jail on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle, Lt. Samuel Joseph said.

He was released from custody a few hours later, according to booking reports.

Nicolas Farley, 23, of Delhi, was cited on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

Atwater police spotted a white Chevrolet Colorado with paper license plates around 2:30 a.m. headed west on Santa Fe Avenue. The pickup truck, police said, matched the description of a vehicle reported stolen a few hours earlier from a Merced business.

“The vehicle in question had been re-sprayed in white paint in certain areas where identifying markings were on the vehicle in an attempt to conceal it from being noticed,” Joseph said.

Officers stopped the vehicle in the area of Santa Fe Drive and Chestnut Lane. “Located in the vehicle was drug paraphernalia and several articles of mail that did not belong to either subject,” Joseph said.

Farley told police he didn’t know the vehicle was stolen and was simply trying to get a ride back to Delhi from Merced, officers said.

Joseph said Atwater police are continuing the investigation into the stolen mail recovered from the vehicle.

This story was originally published March 12, 2015 at 10:01 AM with the headline "Stolen mail, methamphetamine found in stolen truck, Atwater police say."