Felon arrested on drug charges

A wanted 52-year-old transient from Kootenai County was arrested early Wednesday by a Spokane County sheriff's deputy who remembered having arrested the suspect a few years earlier while he was working as a Kootenai County deputy.

Timothy Karl Turnbull was arrested during a traffic stop for possession of a controlled substance and having a suspended Idaho driver's license. He also had an outstanding no-bail arrest warrant issued by the Idaho Department of Correction.

Deputy Chuck Sciortino was patrolling the West Plains area around midnight when he spotted a car bearing an Idaho license plate in which Turnbull was not wearing a seat belt, according to the sheriff's department.

Sciortino previously arrested Turnbull in Idaho. The deputy also recognized Turnbull as a convicted felon who has prior drug convictions.

When Turnbull got out of the car after being asked to do so by Sciortino, a bag of methamphetamine fell from his waistband onto the ground.

The Idaho arrest warrant and bullets found beneath Turnbull's seat may lead to additional criminal charges of fugitive from justice and unlawful possession of ammunition by a felon.