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Task force arrests Clearlake man, seizes methamphetamine
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Narcotics task force members arrested a Clearlake man on Wednesday for charges related to use and possession of methamphetamine.
Martin Guzman Pantoja, 49, was arrested for being under the influence of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance for sale, according to Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Brooks said Lake County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Task Force detectives were walking through the parking lot of Twin Pines Casino in Middletown on Wednesday when they observed Pantoja walk out of the casino and through the parking lot.
Pantoja was acting bizarre, displaying signs of being under the influence of a controlled substance, Brooks said.
Detectives contacted Pantoja in the parking lot and, after conducting several field sobriety tests, determined that he was under the influence of methamphetamine, according to Brooks.
Brooks said detectives arrested Pantoja, searched him and located a plastic bag containing 5 grams of suspected methamphetamine hidden in his sock.
Pantoja told detectives that he had recently purchased the methamphetamine and that he was a methamphetamine user. Brooks said Pantoja denied that he planned to sell the methamphetamine.
Detectives estimated the methamphetamine had a street value of $500, according to Brooks.
Brooks said detectives later tested the suspected methamphetamine using a narcotic identification kit and received a presumptive positive result. The suspected methamphetamine was sent to the California Department of Justice for further testing.
Pantoja was booked at the Hill Road Correctional Facility, with bail set at $25,000. Jail records indicated he remained in custody on Thursday evening.