LOWER LAKE, Calif. – A vehicle stop last week resulted in a Lower Lake man's arrest on a federal warrant and the seizure of 1 ounce of methamphetamine.
William Anthony Bond, 43, was arrested following the stop, according to Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Just after noon on Thursday, March 27, a patrol deputy was traveling northbound on Highway 29, near the intersection of Seigler Canyon Road in Lower Lake, when he noticed a gray Toyota Tundra pickup approximately 100 yards ahead of him that also was traveling northbound, Brooks said.
Brooks said the pickup made an abrupt lane change into the left turn lane, to travel westbound on Seigler Canyon Road, without using a turn signal. The deputy said the lane change was very abrupt and the driver applied the brakes hard enough to cause the vehicle to tilt heavily forward.
Based on the vehicle's sudden abrupt movements, the deputy suspected the driver was either lost or he was trying evade law enforcement, Brooks said.
The deputy was unable to safely enter the turn lane to follow the pickup initially. He was forced to turn his vehicle around on Highway 29 and then travel westbound onto Seigler Canyon Road, according to Brooks.
The deputy saw the pickup turn around at the intersection of Seigler Canyon Road and Perini Road. Brooks said the pickup then began to travel eastbound towards Highway 29, where it had just come from.
The deputy was able to turn around and follow the pickup, and Brooks said the deputy noticed the pickup crossed over the double yellow lines no less than three times and when the driver applied the brakes, one of the lights was not working.
The deputy conducted an enforcement stop at the intersection of Highway 29 and Seigler Canyon Road, identifying Bond as the driver, Brooks said.
Bond told the deputy that he did not have a driver’s license and was on federal probation. Central Dispatch conducted a records check of Bond and advised he had a federal warrant for his arrest. The deputy advised Bond of the warrant and conducted a search incident to arrest, according to Brooks.
The deputy noticed a large bulge at Bond’s belt line and when he attempted to secure the object, Bond attempted to pull away. Brooks said the deputy was able to secure Bond and noticed the object had fallen onto the top of Bond’s shoe.
When the deputy retrieved the item from the top of Bond’s shoe, he noticed it was a white plastic bag with blue tape and a small clear zip lock bag containing a white crystalline substance. Brooks said the deputy immediately recognized the substance in the small clear bag to be methamphetamine and seized both of the bags.
Bond told the deputy that both bags contained methamphetamine. He said the larger white bag contained approximately 1 ounce and the smaller bag contained approximately 1 gram. Bond went on to say that he was just delivering the methamphetamine to a friend who was going to buy it for $3,200, Brooks reported.
The deputy opened the white bag and noticed it also contained a white crystalline substance he recognized to be methamphetamine. Brooks said the deputy did not believe it was reasonable for person to possess or transport an ounce of methamphetamine for personal use. Bond admitted he was delivering the methamphetamine, but was not making any money for his services.
Bond was arrested for the federal warrant, possession of a controlled substance for sale and transportation of a controlled substance. He was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked.
The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be contacted through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.