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Mutiple Charges filed in Lenox drug investigation

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February 10th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

The Lenox Police Department reports two people were arrested on drug charges, Thursday, following an investigation into a suspicious vehicle parked at the Lenox High School. Officials say 21-year old Victor Daniel Govea and 20-year old Maria Alvarez, both of Lenox, were taken into custody at around 2:15-a.m.

Alvarez was charged with possession of meth, possession of alcohol under the legal age and possession of an open container of alcohol in a vehicle. Govea was charged with possession of meth, OWI-1st offense, open container of alcohol, failure to have a driver’s license, identity theft, a class D felony, and forgery, a class D felony. Both are being held in the Ringgold County Jail. .

The pair was arrested after Lenox Police stopped the vehicle they were in as it was leaving the Lenox High School parking lot. The vehicle was stopped for an equipment violation. When the officer approached the vehicle he could see several open bottles of beer. The driver (later identified as Govea) provided a Virginia drivers license identifying him as 32-year old Jeiel Hernandez. The man said he lived in Lenox. Alverez was a passenger in the car.

During a search of the vehicle, the officer located methamphetamine. While the search was underway, the owner of the vehicle, Alfredo Zapata-Gonzalez, arrived on the scene. Zapata-Gonzalez was issued a citation for allowing an unlicensed driver to operate a vehicle and the car was released to him.During the investigation it was discovered Hernandez’s real name was actually Victor Daniel Lopez Govea.  The Lenox Police Department obtained a search warrant for Govea’s residence, and at around 1:30-p.m., Thursday, officers with the Lenox Police Department, Taylor County Sheriff’s office, the Ringgold County K-9 unit and the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Office served the warrant at the home, which resulted in the recovery of additional evidence. The investigation continues, with additional charges possible.