A Pierson man was arrested without a license or a tag when a deputy stopped him hauling a trailer suspected of being a meth lab.
While patrolling 445A and 445 around 11:40 p.m. Tuesday, a deputy initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle matching the description of a suspected mobile meth lab that was called in, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. The description was of a burgundy Ford F-150 towing a camper with broken windows. The report noted that while the deputy was behind the vehicle, he saw no tag on the back of the camper trailer.
Upon initiating the traffic stop, the driver, 45-year-old William Eldon Ginrich, pulled over safely on the side of the road. Ginrich advised that he was towing his girlfriend’s camper to a new spot because they were having issues at the last place they were staying, the report said.
Dispatch then made the deputy aware that the tag did not match the vehicle it was on. Furthermore, Ginrich’s license was suspended, the report said.
Ginrich advised that his license should be active because he paid off all his tickets, but his wallet was stolen once he got it all sorted out. When he went to replace his stolen license, he claimed that the DMV would not issue him a license because he also had a license out of Tennessee. The DMV informed him that he could not have two licenses despite him denying having one out of Tennessee, the report said.
Additionally, he advised that he was not currently staying with his girlfriend and would only stay with her periodically. He stated that he was no longer staying at any of the addresses listed in multiple databases, the report said.
Ginrich was subsequently arrested. When the deputy checked his driving history, it revealed seven prior convictions for driving while license suspended, the report said.
The female on scene could not provide a way to safely and in a timely manner secure her camper trailer in another place. It also was not properly marked. Both the truck and camper trailer were towed by Aces Towing Company, and a tow sheet for the truck and camper trailer were completed, the report said.
Ginrich was charged with driving while license suspended, operating a non-registered motor vehicle and attached tag not assigned. He was transported to Lake County Jail and released after posting $2,000 bond.