Traffic stop ends with arrest of murder suspect

A routine traffic stop in Truckee led to the arrest of a man wanted on murder charges in Fresno and Florida.

California Highway Patrol officers stopped a vehicle going west on Interstate 80 about 10:30pm Jan. 10. Officers were suspicious and asked for Truckee officers to bring in K-9 Trax.

Officers said a search of the vehicle revealed a small amount of marijuana as well as more than 100 credit cards in an unidentified female’s name, multiple pre-paid gift cards, altered debit cards, pre-paid cash cards and numerous receipts of recent transactions for high-end apparel from different states across the country.

During the booking process, it was confirmed that the driver, 33-year-old McKinley Williams, had falsely identified himself during the traffic stop. Williams had two outstanding warrants for murders.

The passenger, 23-year-old Karion Bickham, had correctly identified herself to officers during the traffic stop. However, during the initial search, officers located a second Florida driver’s license with her picture and a fictitious name that matched the name on the numerous credit cards found in the vehicle.

Williams and Bickham were booked into the Truckee jail on several fraud related charges.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report