“I looked at the case today and spoke with the officers, and we agreed that now that we’ve filed the case, our burden of proof had been elevated,” Loge said of the felony matter. “We thought we would not be able to meet our burden of proof, so we had to act. And that’s what I did this afternoon.”

A probable cause affidavit in the felony case says a deputy’s police dog alerted to Wah’s vehicle, which prompted deputies to search the car, where they found $53,234 in cash. The affidavit does not say the deputy found any drugs or other contraband, but it says the money was seized “due to the inconsistent stories and Wah (being) unable to confirm the money was his.”

Loge said Wah, 40, agreed to a search of the vehicle after telling the deputies he did not have contraband or associated proceeds inside. He added that what the deputies found “wasn’t consistent with normal carrying of cash transactions.”