Sanchez’s story raised suspicions with the trooper. In addition, Sanchez could not remember the Idaho town he was coming from and “frequently forgot” the name of the North Dakota town where he was headed, records said.

While the trooper went back to his vehicle to confirm Sanchez’s driver’s license and do a criminal record check, a federal Drug Enforcement Administration task force officer talked to Sanchez. Sanchez told the DEA agent that he was coming from Yellowstone National Park “where he was visiting Yogi Bear,” court records said.

The trooper gave Sanchez a warning for the traffic violation and asked if he had anything illegal in the vehicle. Sanchez said no and consented to a vehicle search.

The DEA agent found in the center console a tire repair kit that had been used and, based on his training, knew it was unusual to have to fix a flat on a rental car, court records said.

The agent and a second trooper found the spare tire in the trunk, and the first trooper used a small hammer to determine whether the tire had been tampered with.

The second trooper removed the tire from the vehicle and dropped it on the ground to see whether it bounced normally. The tire barely bounced, indicating it had little to no air, court records said.