MIDDLETOWN — Two Arizona residents were arrested in Lake County Saturday on several drug and weapons charges. The arrests came while California Highway Patrol Officer R. Hearn was following up on a dog mauling incident in Middletown.
According to CHP, Hearn was driving in the Middletown area when he was flagged down and advised of a dog mauling incident that just occurred a block away from his location. The officer responded to the corner of Armstrong and Lincoln streets to meet the victims. Witnesses said there were two pit bull dogs running loose that attacked another dog, CHP Information Officer Steve Tanguay said. Witnesses said the owners of the dogs were leaving the area. Hearn located the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop. Lance Boyd Smith, 43, of Cottonwood AZ, exited the vehicle and approached the officer. “Officer Hearn could smell the odor of marijuana coming from inside a trailer that was being towed by Smith,” Tanguay said.
“Officer Hearn searched the vehicle and located a loaded sawed-off shotgun, over two pounds of processed marijuana, other drugs, drug paraphernalia, drug packaging equipment and approximately 43 growing marijuana plants.”
Smith and his passenger, Annette M. Hunkler, 41, of Cottonwood AZ, were arrested and booked into Lake County Jail. Smith was booked on four felony charges related to the sale and possession of marijuana and concentrated cannabis, two misdemeanor drug charges and four felony charges related to possession of the sawed-off shotgun. Hunkler was booked on four felony and two misdemeanor charges related to the sale and possession of marijuana and concentrated cannabis. Lake County Animal Control responded for investigation of the dog mauling incident.
