A 37-year-old man from Blythe was arrested on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine intended for sale while on probation, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department announced Saturday.
Deputies from the Colorado River Station Special Enforcement Team were in the 1500 block of Hobson Way, in Blythe, at 3:20 p.m. Friday when they recognized a man in a red Chevrolet Malibu.
The man, identified as Joel Garnica, was on probation and deputies suspected he was carrying large quantities of illegal drugs.
Garnica allegedly exited the vehicle and immediately fled on foot. Deputies pursued him to the rear of a liquor store on East Hobsonway, where he was detained.
Upon conducting a search, deputies allegedly found that Garnica was in possession of methamphetamine intended for sale.
A probation hold was issued by Imperial County Probation, and Garnica was arrested and booked into the Blythe Jail on suspicion of transportation and possession of a controlled substance for sale, violation of probation and resisting arrest. He was being held on $50,000 bail.
It was not immediately clear why Garnica was on probation.
Anyone with additional information was encouraged to contact Deputy Moreno or Deputy Johnson at 760-921-7900 and reference incident #A251570024.
