Elmira, NY – Two people were taken into custody this week after a traffic stop in Chemung County led deputies to recover methamphetamine and uncover a separate investigation involving stolen car motors, authorities said.
According to the Chemung County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation began on November 12, 2025, when deputies responded to a car wash on Pennsylvania Avenue near the Pennsylvania border for a reported larceny of car wash bay motors. Detectives later learned that the missing motors had allegedly been sold to a local scrapyard. Sheriff’s officials said the person believed to have possessed and sold the stolen equipment was 40-year-old Daniel F. Walker Jr., of Elmira.
On November 17, a deputy patrolling State Route 328 near Sagetown Road in the Town of Southport spotted a vehicle being driven by Walker, leading to a traffic stop. Walker was taken into custody as part of the ongoing stolen property investigation. Deputies said the passenger, identified as 48-year-old Diana L. McIlwain of Lindley, was also taken into custody because she was allegedly a wanted subject out of Steuben County.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, a search of McIlwain’s person during the arrest yielded over 40 grams of methamphetamine.
Walker was charged with Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fourth Degree and Criminal Mischief in the Third Degree. He was issued appearance tickets for a later date in Elmira City Court, then turned over to the Elmira Police Department on an outstanding warrant.
McIlwain was arrested for Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fourth Degree. She was arraigned in Southport Town Court and released, then turned over to the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office on their warrant.
This article was produced by a journalist and may include AI-assisted input. All content is reviewed for accuracy and fairness.
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