COLLEGE STATION, Texas — A Bryan man has been arrested after a defective headlight on the vehicle he was driving resulted in a traffic stop and a police search turned up several items.
Chad Latham, 31, is charged with fraud, two counts possession of a controlled substance, credit card abuse and two counts possession of a dangerous drug. During a search of Latham's car, police said they found 51 stolen credit and debit cards, 18 pieces of identification including driver's licenses, passports and ID cards belonging to people other than Latham, as well as stolen mail.
They said they spotted Latham's car traveling southbound on Texas Avenue and the driver's side headlight was not working. The officer who spotted Latham's car said he initiated a traffic stop in the 1000 block in the parking lot of the Raising Cane's restaurant.
The officer arrested Latham for the defective headlight and also arrested his passenger, whom Latham identified as his girlfriend, after she allegedly gave officers a false name.
While searching the vehicle, officers found more than two dozen credit and debit cards not issued to Latham. They said they found Latham's wallet, which had heroin inside of it, as well as several syringes. The officer who first responded to the scene said there were two white postal baskets, often used by mail carriers inside of the vehicle. Officers said they found 30 separate pieces of mail addressed to 25 different people at 20 different addresses. All of the mail appears to be for financial or identification purposes, including bank statements, credit card bills and driver's license renewals.
Authorities also found 18 different piece of identification for other people inside the vehicle, they said, and upon searching the trunk, they said they found medication prescribed for someone other than Latham.
Latham is currently in the Brazos County Jail on $56,300 bond.
