A 38-year-old Ceres man was arrested and booked into the Stanislaus County Jail on Thursday morning after he was found in the 2300 block of Industrial Waywith 12 grams of methamphetamine.

David Watson, 38, of Ceres, was stopped and searched by an officer at 11:30 a.m. He was charged with possession of methamphetamine.

A new state law allows most drug suspects to be cited and released for misdemeanors but in this case the officer exercised the discretion to haul him in, said Ceres Police Department spokesman Lt. Chris Perry.