Man arrested on gun, drug charges in Tahoe City
TAHOE CITY, California (KOLO) - A man has been arrested in Tahoe City on gun and drug charges.
Just after 1:00 p.m. on May 19, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Cobblestone Movie Theater after getting a call from a citizen seeking clarification on California’s open carry laws after seeing a man openly carrying a firearm on his hip while walking around.
Deputies responded to the scene and conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle the man was in.
After he was detained, deputies found a loaded handgun on the man’s hip. Deputies searched the vehicle and found two additional loaded handguns in the driver’s door pocket and a rifle accompanied by four loaded high-capacity magazines in the trunk.
Police say possession of the specific rifle found is illegal in the state of California, and its transportation across state lines is considered a felony.
During the search of the vehicle, officers also found an assortment of prescription bottles and various plastic bags containing a substantial quantity of pills.
During their investigation, police discovered the man, identified as 42-year-old Thomas Alexander of Oregon, had been inquiring about the theater’s customer arrival times.
He was arrested on the following charges:
- Carrying a loaded firearm in public
- Illegal possession of a rifle
- Transporting the rifle
- Possession of a controlled substance
Alexander was also charged with several other associated offenses not named by the Sheriff’s Office.
Copyright 2023 KOLO. All rights reserved.