OTHELLO — A vehicle seized during an Adams County graffiti investigation earlier this month contained suspected cocaine, methamphetamine, ammunition and evidence consistent with drug distribution, according to the Adams County Sheriff's Office.  

Deputies served a court-approved search warrant on Oct. 19 on a vehicle connected to an Oct. 1 investigation that led to the arrest of Dario Ochoa Jr., 26, of Othello, on suspicion of unlawful possession of a firearm and third-degree malicious mischief.  

According to the sheriff's office, deputies located 19 plastic bags containing suspected illegal narcotics during the search. Investigators said several bags contained a white powdery substance that field-tested positive for cocaine, while another bag contained a white crystalline substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine.  

Deputies also recovered a small scale and found that one of the bags was marked with an apparent sale amount. The sheriff's office said the packaging, markings and scale were consistent with narcotics being weighed and packaged for distribution.  

Investigators also recovered 9mm ammunition similar to ammunition found in Ochoa's possession during his arrest earlier this month. The sheriff's office said additional charges related to the suspected narcotics and the alleged sale or distribution of those substances are anticipated.  

No formal charges had been announced Monday. The investigation began Oct. 1 after a citizen reported witnessing graffiti being applied to a fence near West June Street and South Andes Road outside Othello.  

The witness photographed a vehicle believed to be involved and provided deputies with a description of the suspect, according to the sheriff's office. Deputies began investigating but the suspect left the area before they arrived.  

Later that evening, Othello police officers responded to a separate report of graffiti in progress at Taggares Park and arrested a juvenile. During that investigation, authorities learned the vehicle associated with the earlier Adams County graffiti case had also been present at the park.  

The vehicle was gone before officers could contact its driver, but Adams County deputies provided Othello police with the vehicle information and requested officers watch for it.  

Later that night, Othello officers located the vehicle within city limits and notified deputies, who responded and contacted Ochoa. Deputies said Ochoa matched the description provided by the witness earlier in the day.  

During the investigation, deputies detained Ochoa and found a firearm in his possession. Because Ochoa is a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing firearms, he was arrested and booked into jail on suspicion of unlawful possession of a firearm and third-degree malicious mischief.  

The sheriff's office credited the initial witness report with helping move the investigation forward and also thanked the Othello Police Department for its assistance.  

The investigation remains ongoing.