Traffic stop for fictitious tags leads to felony drug charge
A traffic stop on a vehicle with fictitious tags resulted in the arrest early Tuesday of the driver on felony and misdemeanor charges after she allegedly lied about her identity and was found to have drug paraphernalia in her possession.
Caitline Ann Hubbard, 28, who lists a Whittington Avenue address, was taken into custody shortly 1:30 a.m. and charged with a felony count of possession of drug paraphernalia, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and misdemeanor charges of driving on a suspended driver’s license and obstructing government operations.
Hubbard, who was also cited for having fictitious tags and had a warrant for failure to comply, remained in custody Tuesday in lieu of a $5,500 bond and is set to appear today in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday, Hot Springs police Officer Jonathan Smith saw a white 2001 Dodge Caravan southbound in the 1400 block of Central Avenue and a check of the license plate showed it returned to a different vehicle.
He stopped the Dodge in the parking lot of the Sands Inn, 1525 Central Ave., and made contact with the driver, later identified as Hubbard, who initially gave him a different name and date of birth. She had no photo ID and was reportedly unable to give Smith the last four digits of her Social Security Number.
After asking her “a few more questions about her false identity and her inability to answer any of the questions, her true identity was learned,” Smith said, and a computer check showed she had a warrant for the failure to comply charge so she was taken into custody.
During an inventory of the vehicle, Smith reportedly found a glass meth pipe with residue in it resulting in the additional felony charge.
According to court records, Hubbard had previously pleaded no contest on May 6, 2020, in district court to four counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and three counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor, all misdemeanors, while a felony charge of possession of a controlled substance, meth, was withdrawn.
She was sentenced to one year in jail with all but 68 days suspended and placed on supervised probation for one year.
The charges stemmed from her arrest on April 2, 2020, at a local motel where she was reportedly found with three children, ages 3, 4 and 6, and was in possession of drug paraphernalia and a loaded syringe with meth.