Dog found in truck wearing a jacket. What was in the pocket led to arrests.

One of four occupants of a pickup stayed totally cool during a drug search Sunday night in Sonora, even while wearing a coat with methamphetamine tucked in a pocket.

A photo posted on Facebook by the Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office shows a big black-and-white dog sitting in the driver's seat of a silver Toyota pickup, looking toward the truck's open hood. The dog is wearing a tan-colored Carhartt jacket, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The shot was taken after Deputy Terry Knapp and K9 Maverick saw the pickup parked on the side of Stockton Street in Sonora. It's registered to 50-year-old Larry Hunter, who had active warrants for his arrest.

"When our deputy parked behind the truck, he saw a man peek out from under the open hood and recognized him as Hunter," the Facebook post reads.

In the truck were Lennette Forgan, 30, who also had an arrest warrant; Christopher Phillips, 40; and the dog.

A search turned up a loaded magazine in Hunter's pocket and a methamphetamine pipe in Forgan's pocket. Five grams of methamphetamine were stashed in the air filter compartment of the truck engine, and an additional half gram was between the seats.

More meth — the post doesn't specify how much — was in the pocket of jacket keeping the dog warm.

Hunter, Forgan and Phillips were booked into the Tuolumne County jail on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance.

Hunter also was booked for two failure-to-appear warrants and being a prohibited person in possession of ammunition. Forgan additionally was booked on possession of drug paraphernalia and failing to appear in court.

"The well dressed dog," the Sheriff's Office says, "was determined to be an unwitting accomplice and will not face charges."

This story was originally published November 28, 2017 at 8:04 AM with the headline "Dog found in truck wearing a jacket. What was in the pocket led to arrests.."