COARSEGOLD – A Mariposa man was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle after deputies on patrol in the Coarsegold area came upon a suspicious vehicle and began investigating.
On Feb. 19 at approximately 2:04 a.m, Deputy Jerry Marin was performing routine patrol when he observed a vehicle partially blocking the driveway of a residence in the 40000 block of Road 417, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Corporal Miguel Hernandez and Deputy Jose Villafan were dispatched the scene to assist with the investigation.
After a period of time, the registered owner returned to the vehicle on foot, and reported to deputies that a friend was en route with gas for his vehicle.
Shortly thereafter, a male subject, later identified as 55-year-old Terry Newberry of Mariposa, arrived in a black Ford F-150, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Corporal Hernandez ran a license plate check on the truck through dispatch, who advised that the plate showed expired to a 2013 Dodge Ram pickup truck, not the Ford to which it was attached.
After confirming the plate number, Corporal Hernandez requested a check on the VIN for the Ford, which came back to a stolen 2005 Ford F-150 out of Clovis.
Dispatch confirmed with Clovis Police Department that the vehicle was stolen and had yet to be located. Newberry was detained by deputies and placed into custody.
During the course of the investigation, Newberry admitted to taking license plates off of an old Dodge truck he had and placing them on the Ford.
While conducting an inventory search of the vehicle, deputies located drugs and drug paraphernalia, all of which were seized and booked into evidence.
Newberry was transported and booked in at Madera County Department of Corrections for felony possession of a stolen vehicle, felony alteration/forgery of vehicle registration, misdemeanor possession of methamphetamine, and misdemeanor possession of unlawful paraphernalia.
