Sonora Woman was Arrested on Felony Possession of a Controlled Substance 

February 11, 2026 – Sonora Police Department officials report that on January 8, 2026, at 9:16 p.m. officers with the Sonora Police Department stopped a vehicle for an equipment violation. Officers identified the driver and the passenger. The passenger was identified as 53-year-old Kristina McLaughlin from Sonora.

The vehicle could not legally be on the roadway according to DMV records. The vehicle was required to be towed, and officers conducted an inventory search. Officers located drug paraphernalia inside the vehicle. Officers searched Kristina and located suspected methamphetamine in a pack of cigarettes on her person.

Kristina was placed in custody and taken to the Tuolumne County Jail. McLaughlin has four prior convictions for possession of a controlled substance, making her charges a felony.

Health and Safety Code 11395(b)(1), enacted via Proposition 36, makes it a “Treatment-Mandated Felony” to possess hard drugs (fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine) if the defendant has two or more prior convictions for specified drug offenses.

It’s important to remember that the individuals mentioned in this report were arrested based on suspicion of the crimes they’ve been charged with. All such charges are mere allegations, and all defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty.

Source: Sonora Police Department