Traffic stop, K9 search of vehicle result in arrest

Madera County Sheriff’s Office

Various items, including drugs and drug paraphenelia, recovered during a traffic stop in Oakhurst.

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A traffic stop in Oakhurst led to the arrest of a man and a woman on suspicion of drug trafficking.

Madera County Sheriff’s K9 Deputy Eric Grijalva and Corporal Ty Tashiro saw a white pickup with no brake lights in the 40000 block of State Route 41 in Oakhurst. Sheriffs dispatch advised the vehicle’s registration had been expired since December 2016.

Grijalva made a traffic stop based on the lighting violation and expired registration.

The driver of the vehicle, later identified as 49-year-old Timothy Alec of Coarsegold, said he was on active felony parole, and did not have a valid California driver’s license.

Grijalva and Tashiro conducted a search of the vehicle, as permitted under the conditions of Alec’s parole.

During the course of the investigation, Grijalva’s K9 partner, Tonka, was deployed, and alerted in two different areas of the interior of the truck. While conducting a subsequent search of the vehicle, deputies discovered approximately five grams of methamphetamine, individual bags of marijuana, and various drug paraphernalia, including needles, packaging material, and a digital scale.

After the conclusion of the vehicle search and following an interview of the suspects, Timothy Alec was arrested June 13 at approximately 1:44 a.m. for felony possession of narcotics for sale, possession of a controlled substance, and driving with a suspended/revoked license. The woman passenger, 32-year-old Tamra Bahr of Oakhurst, was also arrested for felony possession of narcotics for sale, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of paraphernalia. A third occupant of the vehicle was released.

Both Alec and Bahr were booked in at Madera County Department of Corrections.