DPS finds pot-laden truck after chase

At about 10:13 a.m., a DPS officer tried to stop a white Dodge quad-cab pickup truck for a traffic violation, said Quentin Mehr, a spokesman for the department, in a news release. 

The Dodge vehicle was traveling west on Interstate 10 near Marsh Station Road, he said. It pulled away from the officer and continued traveling west on the freeway, committing further traffic violations. The officer called in that he was in pursuit. 

The suspect's vehicle left the interstate at the Vail Road exit at milepost 279 and entered a residential area, where he abandoned the vehicle and began fleeing on foot, according to the spokesman. DPS found a "large quantity" of marijuana in his vehicle. 

DPS and Pima County Sheriff's Department deputies searched the area, Mehr said. The suspect was not located and all units cleared the search at 12:03 p.m. 

Cienega High School at 12775 East Mary Ann Cleveland Way was put on a precautionary lockdown, according to Deputy Tracy Suitt at the Pima County Sheriff's Department.

Cienega students were released from the school at 12:45 p.m., said Natalie Luna Rose, a spokeswoman for the Vail School District. Thursday was the last day of school and it was a half day, so students were released as scheduled. A sheriff's deputy was present at the gate to ensure that students got out safely, she added.  

The sheriff's department will maintain a visible presence in the area out of "abundance of caution and deterrence," said Deputy Tom Peine, another spokesman for the department. No arrests have been made in this incident.