OKEECHOBEE — After a member of the Okeechobee Narcotics Task Force stopped a vehicle for failing to maintain a single lane of travel, the passenger was arrested.

On Thursday, Feb. 18, at approximately 10:45 a.m., a detective with the task force conducted a traffic stop on a black Ford pickup behind the Brahma Bull Restaurant.

Timmy Joe Lee, 32, Northeast 207th Street, was charged with possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to the arrest report, the driver said she did not have a valid license. When the detective asked if there were any weapons, drugs or large sums of currency in the vehicle, the driver and passenger said no.

A second detective responded to the scene with K9 Samba, a narcotics trained dog. Samba did a free air sniff around the vehicle and alerted to the vehicle. City Police Officer Jessica Francis responded to the scene and with permission conducted a search of the female driver, finding nothing illegal.

A search of the vehicle however, turned up a black bag containing several used syringes which tested positive for methamphetamine residue. In addition, there was a large knife in the bag. The driver and Lee denied ownership of the bag. Because it was closer to Lee and hanging on the headrest of the passenger seat, Lee was the one arrested. A search of Lee’s person produced a small clear bag of methamphetamine. Lee reportedly said he forgot about that old bag in his pocket.

The driver was released with a citation for driving without a license.

Lee’s bond was set at $5,500.