Three North Platte teens are facing charges after a traffic stop led to the discovery of a stolen handgun.

On December 19, at around 7:25 p.m., a deputy with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office observed a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed on North Lake Road, near Lake Maloney.

The deputy conducted a traffic stop and, upon approaching the vehicle, smelled the odor of burnt marijuana.

The officer searched the vehicle and discovered a small amount of marijuana, four prescription pill bottles not belonging to the occupants, five Visa cards which did not belong to the occupants, multiple bottles of alcohol and a large-caliber semi-automatic handgun.

The deputy ran a check on the firearm and discovered that it had recently been reported stolen from North Platte.

The three subjects in the vehicle were placed under arrest and identified as 18-year-old Jareb Huerta, 18-year-old Jeremiah McEntire, and a 17-year-old male juvenile.

All three were transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center.

McEntire was charged with possession of a stolen firearm, possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a controlled substance, possession of stolen property and several other charges.

Huerta was charged with being an accessory to a felony and two counts of minor in possession.

The juvenile was charged with possession of a stolen firearm, possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony, two counts of possession of a controlled substance, possession of a financial transaction device with two or more accounts, carrying a concealed weapon and five counts of possession of stolen property.

The following day, deputies contacted the North Platte Police Department and learned that most of the recovered items had been stolen from vehicles in North Platte.

Deputies with the LCSO and NPPD investigators will continue to investigate the case, with more charges possible.