Jamestown man arrested near Railtown park on drug charges

A Jamestown man faces charges of transportation of methamphetamine and possession for sale after being arrested near Railtown 1897 State Historic Park on Thursday morning.

About 9:10 a.m., Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Department Deputy James Riley approached Randall Saari, 49. Saari showed signs of being under the influence of drugs, and Riley smelled marijuana coming from Saari’s 2003 Toyota Camry, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Department.

A vehicle search turned up 15.4 grams of methamphetamine packaged for sale, $7,860 in cash, and marijuana residue on the floorboard.

Saari was booked into the Tuolumne County Jail and posted his $10,000 bail before Tuolumne Narcotics Team detectives got a search warrant for his Seventh Street home in Jamestown.

A search of the residence uncovered 28.7 grams of methamphetamine, 52 grams of marijuana packaged for sale, drug use paraphernalia and $50,040 in cash.

The cash from the car and the home – $57,900 total – was seized as narcotic asset forfeiture. Saari will have to prove the money originated from a legitimate source, not drug sales, to get it back, the Sheriff’s Department reported.

This story was originally published May 13, 2016 at 7:50 AM with the headline "Jamestown man arrested near Railtown park on drug charges."