UPPER LAKE, Calif. – A Miranda man was arrested early Monday at a local casino, with a deputy seizing four grams of cocaine during the arrest.
Lawrence Hirschell Murray, 32, was arrested after initially attempting to evade a deputy, according to Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
At approximately 2 a.m. Monday sheriff's patrol deputies conducted a security check at Robinson Rancheria Bingo and Casino, Brooks said.
After entering the gaming casino gaming area, a deputy observed a male subject later identified as Murray seated at a slot machine, Brooks said.
Brooks said the deputy initiated a consensual contact with Murray and started a conversation with him. Murray admitted to being on probation in Humboldt County for domestic violence. He also admitted to having a search clause attached to the conditions of his probation.
The deputy asked Murray to stand up so he could conduct a probation search. Murray immediately ran towards the southwest corner of the casino in an attempt to escape and avoid being searched. He was apprehended moments later, Brooks said.
The deputy searched Murray and located a plastic baggie containing a white crystalline substance in his front right pants pocket, Brooks said. Murray told the deputy that the substance was cocaine.
Murray exhibited signs and symptoms of being under the influence of a controlled substance. He also admitted to using cocaine earlier in the day. Brooks said the deputy administered a series of tests to determine whether or not Murray was under the influence of a controlled substance, which he failed.
Brooks said Murray was arrested for possession of a controlled substance, being under the influence of a controlled substance and resisting arrest. He was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked.
The suspected cocaine was later weighed and had a gross weight of 3.8 grams. A small amount of the substance was tested using a Narcotic Identification Kit, which provided a presumptive positive result for cocaine, Brooks said.
The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be reached through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.