Traffic Stop Ends With Drug Arrest

Joseph Johnson -- TCSO booking photo

Sonora, CA – A traffic stop ends with a Sonora man being handcuffed for having methamphetamine.

A Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Deputy recently patrolling Highway 108 near Cavalieri Road in Sonora at night pulled over a pickup truck for not having a working license plate light. After questioning the driver, 34-year-old Amy Locklin, and passenger, 57-year-old Joseph Johnson, the deputy ran record checks on the pair. It revealed that Johnson had an outside agency misdemeanor warrant for his arrest and Locklin had an outside agency misdemeanor cite-and-release warrant.

While patting down Johnson, the deputy found a small container of methamphetamine and a clear glass pipe with burn marks commonly used to smoke the drug in his pants pocket. An additional record check discovered that Johnson had multiple prior convictions for drug offenses.

Johnson was arrested without incident on the charges of possession of a controlled substance with prior drug offenses, possession of controlled substance paraphernalia, and his outside agency warrant. Locklin was issued a citation for her warrant.