Traffic Stop Uncovers Meth in Hello Kitty Bag, Firearm in Hernando County

A broken left taillight on an orange pickup truck set off a chain of events on Mariner Boulevard near Tara Street in Brooksville on Feb. 26 that ended with two men in custody, nearly nine grams of methamphetamine seized, and a Canik TP9 9mm firearm pulled from the back seat.

Deputies with the Hernando County Sheriff's Office spotted the truck during a patrol and initiated a stop at Mariner Boulevard and Tara Street. The driver, Raymond Alers, 43, and his passenger, Tyler Humphrey, 37, were identified. Deputies called in a K-9 partner for an exterior sniff of the vehicle, and the dog alerted to the presence of narcotics.

As Alers stepped out of the truck, he left a bag on the driver's seat. A search of the vehicle turned up two grams of methamphetamine in that bag, along with two glass meth pipes. Deputies also recovered a loaded syringe containing 3.5 grams of methamphetamine tucked inside a pink Hello Kitty pouch. The Canik TP9 was found in the back seat. Alers told deputies the firearm and the vehicle belonged to his brother.

The Hello Kitty pouch drew its own denial. According to the HCSO media release, Humphrey admitted to having a Hello Kitty wallet but denied that the matching pouch belonged to him.

Humphrey's cooperation ended when deputies moved to search his pockets. He told them he had marijuana on him, then tried to run. Deputies subdued him quickly and recovered 3.4 grams of methamphetamine, half a gram of marijuana, and additional drug paraphernalia from his pockets.

Alers was charged with possession of methamphetamine and possession of paraphernalia. His bond was set at $6,000. Humphrey faces four charges: possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, possession of paraphernalia, and resisting without violence. His bond was set at $9,500.

"This case is a clear example of how traffic enforcement, combined with trained K9 partners and attentive deputies, helps keep dangerous drugs and weapons off our streets," the Hernando County Sheriff's Office said in a media release issued March 4 and attributed to Sheriff Al Nienhuis.

Anyone with information on this case can contact Hernando County Crime Stoppers at 1-866-990-TIPS (8477). Tips are anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $5,000.