Sheriff B. Phil Howell has announced the arrest of 27-year-old Lance James Mahala, a resident of Creston, following a motorcycle pursuit that took place in Warrensville, North Carolina. During the course of the pursuit, law enforcement observed Mahala throwing various items from his pockets. These discarded items were later positively identified as methamphetamine, and were subsequently located by a specialized K9 unit.
The sequence of events leading to Mahala's arrest began on September 17, 2026. On that date, Deputy Shepherd was conducting routine patrol duties within the Warrensville area. During his patrol, Deputy Shepherd observed a motorcycle that was operating without displaying any visible tags, which prompted the initiation of a traffic stop.
As Deputy Shepherd attempted to initiate the traffic stop, the driver of the motorcycle, identified as Lance Mahala, did not comply. Instead, Mahala accelerated the vehicle to a high rate of speed, attempting to flee from the deputy. During this period of acceleration and flight, Mahala was distinctly observed discarding items from his pockets onto the roadway.
The pursuit continued for a brief period before Mahala eventually pulled his motorcycle over. Following the conclusion of the chase, Deputy Williams arrived on the scene to provide assistance. Deputy Williams proceeded to place Lance Mahala under arrest in connection with the incident. Immediately after Mahala's arrest, K9 Alpha, a specialized search dog, was deployed to the specific area where the items had been observed being thrown from the motorcycle during the pursuit.
K9 Alpha then initiated a thorough search of the designated area. The K9 unit successfully located the discarded object. Upon recovery and subsequent examination, the object was confirmed to be 7.9 grams of methamphetamine. This discovery directly corroborated the earlier observations made by deputies during the chase.
Following his arrest and the recovery of the illegal substance, Lance Mahala was transported to the Ashe County Detention Center. He was subsequently placed under a $10,000 bond. After the processing, Mahala was later released from custody. All drugs recovered during the incident are slated to be sent to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI) Crime Lab for comprehensive further analysis, a standard procedure in such cases.