Hwy. 26 traffic stop yields firearms, 'other items of interest'
BRIGHTWOOD, Ore. – A traffic stop Friday afternoon on the highway to Mt. Hood had Oregon state police uncovering a few alarming finds.
Investigation by state police during the stop "led to the discovery of a .32 handgun and a Glock 9mm concealed in the car, as well as five knives, a machete, a stun gun, handcuffs, an open container of liquor, and less than an ounce of marijuana," according to an Oregon State Police press release issued Saturday afternoon.
Inside the car were four people from the Puget Sound area of Washington. Three of the four were cited on various offenses.
Around 3 p.m. Friday, March 12, Oregon State Police Sergeant Duane Larson and Trooper Tyler Bechtel were involved in a traffic stop of a 1999 Ford Crown Victoria police interceptor model. The car displayed Washington license plates, and was traveling eastbound on Highway 26 near milepost 36.
Oregon State Police were reportedly on the lookout for the car after citizens called its Northern Command Center dispatch reporting four men in that car flashing a police badge as they drove through traffic in the Sandy area.
In addition to the fire arms and other items, a Washington State Bail Bond Enforcement badge also was found in the car. Police said this type of badge could have been mistaken for a police badge.
The driver and two of the three passengers were cited to appear in Clackamas County Circuit Court. Driver Joseph Henry Maillous, 55, was cited for unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle. Passenger Daniel Joseph Tighe, 31, was cited to appear for unlawful possession of a firearm. A 22-year-old male passenger was cited for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana and failure to use safety restraints.