of false ID, possession of somebody else's identification. >> That's Steven's bag. >> Okay. >> So, >> where's Steven? Who's he? Where's he at? >> He's back at Jacksonville. >> Why do you have his bag? >> He left it in the van. >> Okay. >> At first, this looks like a routine traffic stop over a questionable license plate. The driver even seems prepared for it, claiming he's been stopped for the same issue before. But notice the officer is already asking about other people, weapons, and the vehicle's ownership. That's a sign this stop is about to become much bigger than a plate violation. And the biggest question is simple. Why does this plate keep coming back as stolen? >> Um, so I've been through this before. I understand. Why are they telling me it's stolen out of Canada? It's not stolen out of Canada. My boss is from Canada. Um, this is his vehicle. >> Nobody else in it. >> There's nobody else in it. I have a seat. Just going to make sure there's nobody else here. Nobody else will be here. I promise you that I belong to I'm sorry. Timothy Dawson where he's at Kingston I believe. Ontario was the last time you shot. Uh it was week and a half ago maybe. What they said? >> Nothing. They ran the plate saw that it wasn't that. I just ran it again. They're telling me it's still I don't have an ID on you real quick. Um, I have a digital ID that's on my my wallet got sold. So, so you're not aware. It's in the late channel in the truck on my phone. >> All right. Let's go get that real quick. >> All right. No guns or anything in here, huh? No guns or anything? No. No. He's saying it's been a problem for a while and he's been stopped for a multiple times. I'm trying to go straight. >> If you call I forget which county it was. It was right outside of Volca is where I got stopped. >> County Lake County. >> It wasn't Mar County. >> Maybe Lake. I'm not exactly >> I don't exactly remember. And I do have warrants. They're not expeditable. Um I'm in the middle of taking care of all that. So, you stand over there for me. >> Lake County. >> Yeah, it was right outside right before I got you. >> Yeah, but I don't want to see your pumpkin. Is there a front license plate on it? Just the back one. >> Where's the front license plate? They don't have um There's a front license plate. I have a front license plate. It's in the car, but there's nothing to attach it to. >> Okay. So, you do have the front. >> I have the front. Where is that at? >> I grab it for you. Where's that in the car? Um, I think it's that I think it's uh right by my seat, but I'm not like underneath the box. That's right there. I can grab it where I want to see it. You mind if I grab it? Yeah, I can show you where it's at. I'll stay back. I don't think it should be like here. I can grab it real quick. You mind if I go in there and grab it? >> I just don't know if you got any guns or anything. >> No, I don't have any guns. >> Okay. Okay. I can't have It should be right between the seat right down there on the floor. >> Okay. Or I can grab it. >> There you go. I promise you, it's okay. So he says he has a front license plate. >> Ontario has two license plate. >> See if he has a phone number for his boss that owns it. >> Okay. Do you have a phone number for your boss that owns a truck? >> What's his name? >> Uh Timothy. >> Yeah. He stuck it over top of the old license plate that was there because he couldn't get it off. >> There's another license plate. Yeah, there's a um an old U-Haul plate that's on it. We couldn't get it on. >> So, he just stuck it over top. >> I can't see it. >> Who's the vehicle? Timothy Timothy's number. >> Yes. And what do you do for him? Uh I work for a uh logistical company. So, I deal with dispatching truckers and uh warehouses. So, where are you coming from now? >> We're actually moving and that's why he let me use the van. We're moving. >> Yeah. My personal life. >> Yes. Yes. To where? Down here in Florida. We're going to uh Sarasota. You're coming from where? Right now? >> Oh, I'm Where are you moving from? I'm coming from Jacksonville right now. So, you currently live in Jacksonville? No. No. No. No. You're currently I currently live in Sarasota. That's where you're moving to. >> Yeah, that's where I'm going. Where are you moving from? Virginia. Virginia. Yes. I got allowed to leave and move. So I was allowed by Oh, I was on probation. So yeah, but and I don't know why they're still there because my probation officer is the one who allowed me to. So I don't know what he did with it. He said he couldn't get the dabbit off of it. So, so let me guess. If anything falls wrong with this, it's going to fall on me, isn't it? >> What's weird is that you have a Ontario license from Ontario. And >> the vans, >> he bought it from here, registered it in Ontario, brought place. We have a bunch of vans at Ontario place. >> The thing is the man still wants to >> It shouldn't cuz he bought it everything off. I was there when he waiting by the phone number for that guy. What's his name? Timothy Street, but I guess he couldn't get the names out or whatever. So, they just >> Yeah. So, they plastered the plate over top of it. But, like I said, at this point, I'm guessing this all just And I don't need that. >> He didn't drill it out. He just put that over the box. >> Yeah. Is that firmly attached that tag? >> I guess when we bought them, we couldn't get them out. So, >> rivet it on. I think probably >> they couldn't do it. Stuff I think does stuff like that so they don't lose your tags. >> Yeah, but we went in and he bought uh that day he bought six fans. >> That's what I'm saying. It's still registered to you. >> Yeah. Why? >> I have no idea. >> Does it not kick out the registry when he goes up to >> Not Unless Not Unless he cancels the registration with Arizona. >> Okay. Cuz right now all we're seeing is that it's still it's supposed to have this tag on it. >> Okay. >> And it's still showing as owned by you all. >> Really? >> I have nothing to do with that. So just trying to make it to my wife. >> Contacting Ontario to see if >> No, I understand. I understand. I understand. I'm I'm with you completely. Um so if y'all end up taking this, can I at least get my stuff out? >> The vehicle's not stolen. >> Oh, the vehicle's not stolen. The only thing I shown is that plate is stolen. >> Yes. >> Okay. So, it's supposed to have that plate on. >> Yes. >> Okay. Well, then if that's the case, I can keep it moving. I just He hand me keys, said do what you need to do. I did it. I was just doing what I was told. I didn't think there was an issue. I never had an issue. I got an answer. Yeah. Um he's saying yeah he's saying that his boss bought the van for hall registered it on Ontario according to him and then they stopped this Ontario tag over the Arizona tag because the Arizona tag is riveted like actually riveted into the the vehicle you can't get Sounds like right now you're going to be placing handcuffs. Why? Why? Why? >> Because the tire is coming back stolen out of North Carolina. They confirmed in North Carolina. >> South Carolina. Wherever. >> I've never that that truck came out of Virginia. Wherever whoever entered it stolen, whatever agency that is, confirmed that they are in fact stolen. Hand your license plate. Fact that it's going on there. It's just not making a whole >> No, no. I I understand you handcuffs and put you in the car so we can figure it all out. All right. You have on your personal life. Take knives. >> All right. I am cooperating. Take knife. Will your boss answer the phone? >> He should for me. >> He should. I I got to unlock it, sir. It's fingerprinted. >> You don't have a passcode? >> Oh, okay. 546482. >> The car. >> Tim's not answering. Any call from your phone is your number's blocked or something. >> So, you're under arrest for >> sir. Sir, for theft of a license plate. I didn't steal a license. >> Possession of it. >> You knew it was glued on there. >> No, I didn't. They said >> No, no, no, no. They said that they put them on the um put them on the trucks. I figured that's how they put it on the truck. I didn't know they glued it on there. All I know is that they went out there with screws and put on your way to anybody else to corroborate any of this. >> Um my wife, she works for the company. What's her name? >> And my phone is my queen. Her name is Dawn. Dawn. Yes. >> [music] >> Hello, this is purple fire. Is this Dawn? >> Yes. >> Do you work for the company that owns this van that Ryan is in? >> I do. >> Okay. Do you know how to get to the hold of the owner of the van? >> Uh, I can try to. >> Who does Tim Who does Ryan work for? >> Audrey. >> Does Tim know he has this van or what? >> Absolutely. >> Do you know how to get a hold of Tim? >> I'm going to try to get a hold of him. I get out of town right now. How did he end up down here from Virginia? >> I I don't know. Um really what's going on. >> Well, he was pulled over in this van. The van has stolen license plates on it. >> Stolen license plates? >> Yeah. >> Is he going to jail? >> Probably. >> Or stolen license plates? >> Yeah. >> Okay. All right. Well, I'm going to try to get a hold of Mr. Dodie because that really is not his responsibility. If I get a hold of him, who do I tell him to call? >> He needs to call into the Flagger Sheriff's Office to talk to Corporal Green. I >> hope so, dude. >> All right. There's an important legal detail here. A no contest plea generally means the defendant does not contest the charges while still allowing the court to enter a conviction and sentence. And notice something else. The final outcome was narrower than the original arrest. The petty theft charge was not pursued and the fentinel trafficking charge was later dropped. So the charges announced during an arrest are not necessarily the charges that survive through prosecution. >> He's got a bunch of cars in here and all different names. Hey man, you giving us a real name? >> Ryan, >> that's your real name. >> Been informed of your new charges? >> No. Traffing methamphetamine in possession of false ID, possession of somebody else's identification. That's Steven's bag. >> So, where's Stephen? Who's he? Where's he at? >> He's back in Jacksonville. Why do you have his bag? He left it in the van. Can I ask a question? Why am I getting a trafficking charge? I had what? What the [ __ ] man? How did I have 24 gear? You got to be [ __ ] [ __ ] me. >> So, what was one misdemeanor is now a misdemeanor. >> And that's the final twist in this stop. The driver thought he was dealing with another frustrating license plate issue, something he claimed had happened before. But once officers dug deeper, the investigation uncovered drugs, identification belonging to other people, and evidence that led to felony convictions. The lesson is pretty stark. A traffic stop can begin with one problem and in somewhere nobody in that vehicle expected. What do you think? Did the stolen plate simply expose a much bigger situation?