Merced CHP officer makes routine traffic stop, then finds gun and drugs
A routine traffic stop on Highway 99 in Merced County turned into an arrest on gun and drug charges, the California Highway Patrol in Merced said Tuesday.
At around 8:45 p.m. Sunday, a CHP officer stopped a vehicle that was following another car too closely while travelling southbound on Highway 99 near Le Grand Road, CHP said in a Facebook post.
When an officer saw part of a rifle hidden inside the vehicle, he conducted a search. That led to the discovery of a rifle, ammunition, a glass smoking pipe and what is believed to be methamphetamine.
The driver, Jonathan Vasquez, 39, was on active probation with previous gun-related convictions.
Jim Silva
The Modesto Bee