$781,000 SEIZED FROM DRIVER

The driver of a car with Illinois license plates that authorities say
was stopped in Dallas County with more than $781,000 hidden in secret
compartments was driven by a California man who was not charged with a crime.

Deputy Scott Faiferlick issued a warning ticket for tinted windows to
[Name redacted], 30, of Stockton, Calif.

Faiferlick said he then noticed the car had fresh paint and smelled
of body putty. Court documents show the deputy became suspicious when
[Name redacted] and a female passenger told conflicting stories.

[Name redacted] gave permission for the car to be searched at a
nearby Iowa Department of Transportation garage, where deputies
allegedly turned up 27 packets of money in several hidden compartments.

Frederick said the garage is used regularly for such searches.

"We have access to tools and jacks there, so it makes things easier," he said.

[Name redacted] reportedly signed a form that stated the money did
not belong to him or his female passenger, whom officials did not
identify. Sheriff's officials Monday refused to provide a copy of the
signed form. Chief Deputy Kevin Frederick said the couple was allowed
to leave. The car, however, remains in Adel at the sheriff's department.

Scott County Sheriff Dennis Conard, whose deputies often encounter
suspicious vehicles in high-traffic areas near Interstate Highway 80
in eastern Iowa, said Dallas County deputies did not break from
normal practice, either in the stop or the cash seizure, when they
released [Name redacted] and his passenger.

Conard pointed out that carrying large sums of money is not a crime.
And if the vehicle's occupants say they were unaware of the hidden
cash, there simply might have been no probable cause to arrest them, he said.

"You have to first build a case before you can put them in jail,"
Conard said. "Once you've identified them, you can find them again"
should evidence of a crime surface.

Bill Vaughn, the Polk County sheriff's chief deputy, agreed.

"We've had a couple of stops out on the interstate . . . and yes,
we've done just that," Vaughn said.

He said deputies would carefully document the car's passengers and,
if evidence later incriminated them, "we would go and secure an
arrest warrant and have that person picked up."

Reporters were unable Monday to locate Jimenez through public records.