A Petaluma man was arrested on a drug charge Tuesday morning while police were investigating a vehicle theft, a police sergeant said.
Police located a van in the 1200 block of Petaluma Boulevard North that was stolen from a business about four blocks away, Petaluma Police Department Sgt. Ken Savano said.
A pair of pants inside the stolen van contained a wallet with identification belonging to 30-year-old Michael Inocencio, Savano said.
Inocencio was known to police through contacts at an apartment complex in the 100 block of Magnolia Avenue located in the area where the van was stolen, Savano said.
Police found Inocencio sleeping in his mother's vehicle and arrested him on a $10,000 arrest warrant for burglary, Savano said.
Police searched the vehicle and found a sealed Gatorade bottle with liquid, a book of matches, a battery, and flammable chemicals, Savano said.
Officers suspected the device and chemicals were used to make methamphetamine, and they called in a Petaluma Fire Department hazardous materials team, the Sonoma County DEA Task Force and a Lake County Drug Task Force agent trained to dispose of clandestine drug labs, Savano said.
It was determined the materials were not intended to make methamphetamine and they were disposed of safely, Savano said.
Inocencio was booked in the Sonoma County jail on the warrant and for possession of a controlled substance when jail personnel found methamphetamine in his shoe, Savano said.
Police are still investigating the van theft, Savano said.
--Bay City News
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