Police arrest woman with multiple IDs, checkbooks during traffic stop

A woman was arrested during a Friday night traffic stop when police discovered she was in possession of multiple IDs, Social Security cards and checkbooks.

Larae A. Garcia, 63, is charged with trafficking stolen property, aggravated identity theft, criminal impersonation, possession of drug paraphernalia and false reporting, according to police.

Police said Garcia had a warrant out for her arrest on separate charges related to trafficking stolen property, forgery, theft and shoplifting.

At around 10 p.m., near Desert Cedars Drive and North Soft Wind Drive, officers stopped a vehicle for canceled insurance and made contact with Garcia, a passenger, police said.

Garcia allegedly gave officers a false name but was later positively identified, police said. A records check subsequently showed a Pinal County warrant for her arrest, police said.

Police said a K-9 picked up the odor of narcotics about the vehicle, and a search was conducted.

During that search, officers found a purse containing two pieces of tin foil with black streak marks and a straw with black residue, plus a black wallet containing multiple identification cards, social security cards and checkbooks in other people’s names, according to a probable cause statement.

Garcia’s own driver’s license was also located in the wallet, police said.

She allegedly admitted the straw with residue belonged to her, and that one of pieces of foil was hers, the probable cause statement said.

Garcia allegedly told officers she had found the driver’s licenses, debit cards and Social Security cards in others’ names, or been given them by a friend, and that she knew she needed to get rid of them but failed to do so, police said.

Garcia was booked into Pinal County Jail, where she remained late Tuesday afternoon, according to an online database. She has a court hearing set for Friday.