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Lucerne man’s stolen vehicle recovered during Willits vehicle stop
Brandon Lawson, 21, was arrested for motor vehicle theft, possession of a shaved vehicle key, possession of a controlled substance and a probation violation following a vehicle stop on July 21, according to a report from Sgt. Quincy Cromer.
Also arrested at the time on charges unrelated to the vehicle theft were Lawson’s passengers, 19-year-old Kylee Wood of Willits and Heather Schmidt, 29, of Ukiah, Cromer said.
Cromer said that at 7:45 p.m. July 21 a deputy on patrol in Willits observed a sedan traveling in the area of Sherwood Hill Drive and noticed multiple vehicle infractions being committed.
The deputy pulled the vehicle over in the area of Sherwood Hill Drive and Pomo Court and contacted the driver, who Cromer said was identified based on prior contacts as Lawson.
Cromer said the deputy asked Lawson to exit the vehicle because the license plates on the sedan did not match the vehicle.
Additional deputies from the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, along with officers from the Willits Police Department and California Highway Patrol, arrived to assist with the investigation, Cromer said.
Upon providing the vehicle identification number to dispatch, Cromer said the deputies learned the vehicle had been reported as stolen from a 60-year-old Lucerne man.
Lawson and the other occupants in the vehicle were detained at that time, Cromer said.
During a subsequent search of the vehicle, deputies located numerous "shaved" and blank ignition keys inside the passenger compartment. Cromer said the deputies knew these items to be common tools used to commit vehicle thefts so the keys were secured as evidence.
As the investigation continued, Lawson was found to be on summary probation and was also in possession of methamphetamine, and subsequently was arrested, Cromer said.
Cromer said the vehicle’s passengers also were questioned regarding this investigation.
Schmidt later was placed under arrest for a felony and misdemeanor warrant issued in Mendocino County. Wood was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia, Cromer said.
He said Lawson and Schmidt subsequently were booked into the Mendocino County Jail, where they were both to be held in lieu of $15,000 bail. Wood was cited and released for her charges at the scene.