Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jacob Vaitkus and his K-9 partner, Snoop, were patrolling the area of Highway 169 and Highway 1 on Sept. 13. During their patrol, Deputy Vaitkus noticed a red 2001 Chevrolet Blazer traveling northbound on Highway 169 that was displaying switched license plates.
Deputy Vaitkus initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and made contact with the driver, Michael Taylor, 43. During the roadside interview, it was confirmed that Taylor had active arrest warrants with the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office for failure to register a motor vehicle and driving with a suspended license.
Taylor was taken into custody without incident based on the outstanding warrants. Once Taylor was secured, Deputy Vaitkus deployed K-9 Snoop to perform an exterior sniff of the vehicle for illegal narcotics. K-9 Snoop indicated the presence of drugs, which established probable cause for a search of the vehicle.
During the search, Deputy Vaitkus found approximately 8.3 grams of marijuana, 14.7 grams of methamphetamine, a loaded 9mm pistol, and $2,940 in movie prop U.S. currency.
Michael Taylor was transported and booked into the Caddo Correctional Center on the following charges, in addition to his active warrants:
– Possession of Schedule I (Marijuana)
– Possession of Schedule II (Methamphetamine)
– Possession of a Firearm with Controlled Dangerous Substances
– Switched License Plates
– Driving Under Suspension