Off Duty Amarillo Police Officer Witnesses Driver With Crack Pipe At Red Light

A man driving in a Cadillac was arrested Saturday after an off-duty Amarillo police officer saw the man allegedly holding or loading a glass pipe while at a red light.

It was around 3pm when the officer was driving on South Western near I-40.  Upon seeing the man with a glass pipe the officer notified dispatch and continued to follow the car.  The officer observed the man was traveling with an adult female and two children in car seats,  in the backseat.

A marked patrol car pulled in behind the suspect near Bushland and Western. The suspect then ran a red light and turned into a residential area.  The officer stopped the Cadillac in the 200 block of North Independence.

The suspect was unable to provide any identification.  He did give the officer a name.  The woman and children were asked to get out of the vehicle and a canine unit was called to do a free air sniff of the Cadillac.

The officer determined the driver had provided a false name and identified him as Tyree Lamont Sanford, 33.  Sanford was taken into custody and a pipe was found in his waistband along with a small amount of a powdery substance believed to me methamphetamine in his pocket.

A search of the Cadillac revealed a scale, a loaded .22 revolver, and a second pipe.

Sanford was booked into Potter County on various charges.