Man arrested for gun, drug possession

RENO -- A routine traffic enforcement stop led to the arrest of a man on gun and drug possession charges.

This morning at around 7:45 am, a trooper with the Nevada Highway Patrol made an enforcement stop on a silver Mercury 4-door sedan for speeding in the construction zone on US 395 near the Mill Street interchange in Reno.  The vehicle had been clocked on radar traveling 70 miles-per-hour in a posted 55 miles-per-hour speed zone.  When the trooper approached the driver, he noticed the windows of the sedan were extremely tinted.

The trooper identified the driver as Ryan Phillip White, 22, of Sparks.  White appeared excessively nervous during the initial contact and the other two occupants of the vehicle were showing signs of excessive nervousness as well.  

The trooper, trained in the detection of narcotics transportation, observed other signs of possible criminal activity about the vehicle and asked Mr. White to exit the car so that he could be interviewed away from the other vehicle occupants.  As a safety precaution, Mr. White was patted down to check for any weapons.  Located in the right rear waist band area of the subject’s pants was a loaded semi-automatic pistol.

White was placed under arrest as he did not possess a permit to carry a weapon in a concealed fashion.  Mr. White also admitted to possessing a small amount of marijuana in the car.  Additionally, a check of his vehicle’s front windows reflected a total light transmission amount of only 3 percent.  The legal limit cannot be less than 35 percent with a tolerance of 7 percent. 

Mr. White was taken to the Washoe County Detention Facility and booked on the following charges:

• Speeding; 70 mph in a posted 55 mph construction work zone (misdemeanor)
• Possession of controlled substance; less than 1 ounce of marijuana (misdemeanor)
• Carrying a concealed weapon (felony)
• Excessive window tint (misdemeanor)

His total bail is listed at $5,750 dollars.