Latest news with #HighwayInterdictionUnit
Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Florida man arrested on sex abuse charges, drug possession
Police found 16 kilos of cocaine and 50 pounds of meth in the SUV of a Florida man already facing sexual abuse charges on Wednesday during a traffic stop on the Indiana Toll Road, the Lake County Sheriff's Department announced in a release. Around 11:30 a.m. May 28, a Lake County officer with the department's Highway Interdiction Unit pulled over a Chevrolet Tahoe SUV heading east near Westville on the toll road for following too closely and failing to maintain the lane of travel, Sheriff's Department Spokeswoman Pam Jones said in a release. When the officer ran the driver's license, he found the man was wanted through the Miami-Dade County, Florida Sheriff's Office for sexual battery of a minor and child molestation, she said. Officers then conducted a search of the SUV and found 16 kilos of cocaine and 50 pounds of meth in a cooler and suitcase located inside the vehicle, Jones said. Police arrested 39-year-old Yohan Ponce Riera, of Ocala, Florida, where he also awaits federal charges through the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. 'I commend the outstanding work of our officers for the quick and decisive arrest of a dangerous suspect traveling through our area,' Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. said in the release. 'These police officers also seized a significant amount of narcotics that will never threaten our communities now. 'The Lake County Sheriff's Department remains steadfast in our ongoing efforts to find those who traffic illegal drugs and bring them to justice.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Florida man wanted for child molestation busted with pounds of meth, kilos of cocaine in Lake County
LAKE COUNTY, Ill. (WGN) — A traffic stop in Lake County resulted in the arrest of a Florida man wanted for child molestation and a significant drug seizure, the Lake County Sheriff's Department announced Thursday. Deputies say just before 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 28, a police officer with the Lake County Sheriff's Department Highway Interdiction Unit pulled over a Chevrolet Tahoe SUV for following too closely and failing to maintain the lane of travel. Further investigation revealed that the driver of the Chevrolet Tahoe SUV, later identified as 39-year-old Yohan Ponce Riera, of Ocala, Florida, was wanted in Miami-Dade County for sexual battery of a minor and child molestation. Naperville man sentenced to 8 years in prison after he 'violently killed the family dog' The Lake County Sheriff's Department said that officers found 16 kilos of cocaine and 50 pounds of meth in a cooler and suitcase located inside the vehicle. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines The Lake County Sheriff's Department said federal charges against Riera are pending through the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
