Deputies thought they found a stolen U-Haul. They arrested two suspected meth dealers instead.

A traffic stop ended in arrest for two suspected methamphetamine dealers in Bradenton on Wednesday night.

Shortly after 11 p.m., Manatee County sheriff’s deputies observed a U-Haul pickup truck that looked similar to a vehicle that was reported stolen, so they followed it.

According to a probable cause affidavit, the driver of the truck was driving suspiciously in a westbound direction on 51st Avenue East and 15th Street East. As the patrol car got closer, the driver accelerated “as if it were attempting to evade,” the affidavit says.

The driver had the truck’s left signal on but made a sudden right turn into a mobile home park in the 10 block of Melissa Circle in Bradenton.

That’s when the driver was identified as Chadwick Warner, 43, of Palmetto. Although Warner’s license is suspended, he told deputies he was borrowing the truck from a friend.

The truck was not reported stolen, but deputies could not confirm it was supposed to be in Warner’s custody.

As deputies spoke to the alleged renter of the U-Haul on the phone, they observed the passenger, identified as Shelley Benham, 34, of Ellenton, moving “as if she was stuffing something under the seat.” This prompted a K-9 “walk around” of the vehicle, which alerted deputies to possible narcotics inside.

A search of the vehicle revealed 13.1 grams of methamphetamine, along with “several contraband items” used for narcotic sales, including small, clear plastic baggies and a digital scale with residue on it. Warner was also found with several hundred dollars in his left front pocket.

Neither Warner nor Benham made any statements in the deputies’ presence. They were arrested and the U-Haul was towed, as deputies could never confirm the identity of the alleged renter they spoke to on the phone.

Warner and Benham were charged with one count each of possession with intent to sell. Warner was also charged with one count of driving with a suspended license.

Both Warner and Benham remain in custody at the Manatee County Jail. Warner’s bond is set at $9,000 and Benham’s is $7,500. Jail records indicate both have prior felony drug charges in Manatee County.

Follow Emily Wunderlich on Twitter @EmilyWunderlich.