Pubdate: Sat, 27 Oct 2012
Source: Daily Courier (Prescott, AZ)
Copyright: 2012 Prescott Newspapers, Inc.
Contact: http://www.dcourier.com/Formlayout.asp?formcall=userform&form=1
Website: http://www.dcourier.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4036
Author: Scott Orr
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?237 (Drug Dogs)

YCSO K-9 Unit Ride-Along, Part 3

SEARCHING FOR DRUG-RUNNERS IS 'JUST LIKE FISHING'

ON I-40 WEST OF ASH FORK - Neo, Deputy Randy Evers' K-9 partner, is 
quiet in the back of the patrol Tahoe, just enjoying the ride, as 
Evers looks for possible drug runners.

After letting one car pass at 92 mph, Evers picks out another car 
that goes by and stops on the shoulder. The occupants get out, get 
back in, drive a bit more and stop again.

Evers pulls out of the median.

"See, that's a little strange. That's the kind of stuff you look 
for," he says. "It may be nothing, but they've got my interest now."

He turns on his overhead lights and the car pulls over.

The driver and passenger are pleasant, and tell Evers they thought 
the hood or trunk lid wasn't completely shut.

He asks a few more questions and sends them on their way.

"Didn't feel any weird vibes from (the driver)," Evers says. "You 
have to realize when you've made a mistake and apologize. Humility 
goes a long way."

The a next stop, a man and woman in their 20s, gets his attention. 
They're driving a beat-up car full of camping gear and are swerving a 
bit. He separates the man and woman and talks with them for a moment.

Evers asks if he can search the car. The man says no. "I don't think 
that's necessary," he says. Evers then asks if he can run Neo around 
the outside of the car, and again he's turned down.

Now he has a decision to make: Based on what he's observed, does he 
have probable cause to send Neo anyway? "They have a right to 
refuse," Evers says, "and if I don't feel like there's something I 
need to be looking for or I don't think I'm going to find anything, 
there's no point in tearing a car apart."

A little more discussion, a brief roadside sobriety test, and Evers 
decides to let them go.

"They were very relaxed," he says. "Once you start pushing the 
(search) issue, they'll usually clam up (if they're hiding drugs)."

Later, Evers spots a car driving above the speed limit, sees 
something that piques his interest, pulls out of the median, turns on 
his lights and follows, waiting.

The car does not show any signs of stopping.

A mile later, the car finally pulls over, and Evers steps out to 
speak with the driver.

He's a man in his 20s, with some oddities in his story, and Evers 
becomes suspicious.

His car is loaded with clothes and other assorted items, and, he 
says, he's driving from Colorado to California. He volunteers that 
he's carrying $3,000 in cash, he explains, so if the car breaks down, 
he can buy a new one.

"I do have a criminal history," he says. "I went through drug court." 
It was for a DUI, he says. He produces a Colorado medical marijuana card.

"Do you have any marijuana?" Evers asks.

"I do. It's under an ounce," he answers.

Evers radios for Deputy Harry Shrum, also in the area, to come help 
him search the vehicle for more. The driver gives them permission to search.

The deputies find not only the marijuana but also hashish in the car, 
which the driver contends is legal in Colorado with a card. Evers 
tells him it's a felony to possess hashish in Arizona.

Despite his protests, Evers "hooks him up" - puts him in handcuffs - 
and seats him in the special compartment in his Tahoe for prisoners. 
Behind a clear barrier, he can see Neo, riding in the back, but can't 
touch him.

It's a long ride back to the Prescott jail on Gurley Street for booking.

"It's just like fishing. You just have to keep waiting," Evers says, 
but eventually the waiting pays off.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom