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After Arrest, No One Claims Money Found in Vehicle
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On November 6th, 2015, Spokane Valley Sheriff’s Deputy Clay Hilton located over a thousand dollars in a vehicle after the driver was arrested for Driving While Suspended 3rd Degree and Possession of a Controlled Substance-Cocaine. Since everyone in the vehicle denied ownership of the funds or knew who it belonged to, it was booked into evidence for safe-keeping.
The incident began at approximately 12:45 a.m., when Deputy Hilton observed a Saturn, with no visible license plates and a broken driver’s side window fail to use a turn signal in the area of Havana and Pacific.
Deputy Hilton stopped the vehicle and contacted the driver identified by a Washington State ID card as 60-year-old James A. Dickerson Jr. Dickerson admitted he didn’t have a driver’s license and a records check confirmed his driving privileges were suspended. Deputy Hilton arrested Dickerson for Driving while Suspended, placed him in handcuffs and began a search of his person. During the search, Deputy Hilton located a clear plastic bag containing an off-white rock substance in Dickerson’s pants pocket which he believed to be crack cocaine.
Deputy Hilton completed the search, placed Dickerson in his patrol vehicle and field tested the substance which showed a presumptive positive result for cocaine.
Deputy Hilton contacted Dickerson and advised him of his rights. As Deputy Hilton spoke with Dickerson about the crack cocaine, Dickerson claimed he was only stopped because of his race. He also made several derogatory comments toward Deputy Hilton after admitting he has smoked crack for a while.
During an inventory search of the vehicle, Deputy Hilton located over a thousand dollars in cash inside an open Dorito’s bag. When asked about the money, neither Dickerson nor his passenger claimed ownership of the funds and could not tell Deputy Hilton who the funds belonged to. With no one claiming the money or providing information about who it belonged to, the money was booked into evidence for safe-keeping.
Dickerson was transported and booked into the Spokane County Jail for Possession of a Controlled Substance-Cocaine and Drive while License Suspended.
Deputy Mark Gregory
Spokane County Sheriff’s Office
Public Information Officer
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