LOWER LAKE, Calif. – A vehicle stop conducted by the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force last week resulted in the seizure of $43,120 pending asset forfeiture.
On Thursday, Sept. 27, at about 11:20 a.m., narcotics detectives conducted a vehicle stop on Jerusalem Grade Road in Lower Lake, according to Sgt. Steve Brooks.
The vehicle had an obstructed license plate and the registration had been expired since May, Brooks said.
When narcotics detectives contacted the driver, 37-year-old Caleb Murphy of Lower Lake, they could smell the strong odor of marijuana emitting from inside the vehicle. Brooks said Murphy denied having anything illegal in the vehicle.
Brooks said detectives also contacted 27-year-old Bridget Marie King of Lower Lake and 35-year-old Jamaal Ariel Knight of Santa Cruz, who were passengers in the vehicle.
The narcotics detective, who is also a K-9 handler, informed Murphy that he was going to deploy his narcotics detection K-9 to conduct a search of the vehicle, Brooks said.
Brooks said Murphy told the detective, “Go ahead and search the vehicle all you want, you are wasting your time, there is nothing in there.”
The detectives had all three subjects exit the vehicle. Brooks said a search of the vehicle revealed a large Food Saver bag containing US currency inside the glove box.
The narcotics detection K-9 conducted a search of the vehicle and immediately alerted to the glove box containing the money, Brooks said. When detectives opened the Food Saver bag, a strong odor of marijuana immediately started emitting from it.
Narcotic detectives questioned Murphy, King and Knight as to who the money belonged to, Brooks said.
All three told detectives that the money was not theirs and denied knowing who it belonged to or where it came from, Brooks said. When detectives attempted to provide a property receipt to Murphy for the money they seized, he refused to accept the receipt and said the money was not his.
The money was sorted into $1,000 bundles in $100 bills and each bundle was wrapped with a one hundred dollar bill. Brooks said no additional narcotics or paraphernalia were located in the vehicle.
The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be contacted through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.