LUCERNE – LAKE COUNTY – On Wednesday a Sheriff’s Deputy on patrol spotted a car heading west on Highway 20 through Lucerne. He pulled the car over on a vehicle code violation near 7th Avenue, where Highway 20 runs along the shore of Clear Lake.
According to Steve Brooks, Lake County Sheriff’s Public Information Officer, the deputy asked for the driver’s license and registration. The driver, 48-year-old Brett Alan Miller, admitted that his license had been suspended, which was confirmed to the deputy by Central Dispatch. A nearby K9 unit joined in the enforcement stop, and the trained dog eagerly did her part in the investigation. She showed her excitement on the passenger side of the car, alerting her handler that she smelled one of the controlled substances she had been well trained to detect.
Evidence seized in a search of Miller’s car.
As a result of the probable cause alert from the K9, the deputy conducted a search of the vehicle, quickly locating a small metal container with the word “smalls” embossed on the lid, which had been stashed in the pouch behind the front passenger seat. The container held a plastic bag filled with a white crystaline substance, instantly recognized as methamphetamine, and what is likely concentrated marijuana known as “honey oil”. There was also a used meth pipe stored in the pouch.
Miller, who resides in Clearlake, about 20 miles south of Lucerne, was brought to the Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked on possession of a controlled substance and associated paraphernalia, along with driving with a suspended license. He may have also been issued a fix it ticket, but the results of his original violation may spur him to pay better attention to the condition of his car in the future, citation or not.
Miller was pulled over near the shore on Highway 20, with a nice view of Clear Lake.
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