REDDING – Vistors at a the Howard Johnson Motel got a big surprise when one of the guest rooms blew up, and a woman with three small kids ran from the scene last Friday night.

At 9:50 pm on February 21, Redding Police were called to the scene on reports of an explosion in one of the rooms at the Howard Johnson Express Inn on Bechello Lane. According to a Redding PD press release, officers found 28-year-old Daniel James Ogram standing outside the burning room with severe burns all over his body. Officers were able to enter the room to insure no one else was inside, and arriving Redding Fire Department units put out the remaining fire and insured the room was safe. Ogram was also evacuated to Mercy Medical Center for treatment of his burns, and was eventually sent to a burn center outside of Shasta County. He is currently listed in critical condition.

Perhaps to avoid attention at the mobile home park, Ogram set up his honey oil lab at the Redding Howard Johnson’s.

Investigation of the room showed that Ogram had been operating a marijuana honey oil lab inside. Honey oil, also known as hash oil, is a highly potent form of cannabis extracted from marijuana and with a very high THC count. It can be smoked, vaporized, or taken orally, and is said to be very potent with “mind numbing power” according to Cannabis Culture magazine/website. However, the process of making it is extremely dangerous, and involves using butane gas, which of course if highly flammable. It is recommended that it be done outside for safety, but since it is illegal, it is usually made inside and has resulted in explosions and death or severe injuries, such as in this case.

Ogram has had another recent encounter with police. He was arrested on January 2 this year in Anderson on charges of possession of a controlled substance, burglary, obstructing a police officer, and probation violations.

As the officers continued their investigation, it was reported to them that two women had left the scene in a red Ford Mustang, with at least two small children. An immediate search of the area did not locate the missing car. The next day, however, the investigation led them to Ogram’s residence at the Lazy Landing mobile home park, where they located one of the suspected women, 27-year-old Amanda Hepler, Ogram’s fiance.

Ogram adn Hepler were living at the Lazy Landing Mobile Home Park, just north of Anderson.

She is a mother of five children, and had three boys with her – a two-month-old, a one-year-old, and a two-year-old. She admitted to the officers that she was indeed at the scene of the explosion, and fearing police, had fled. She also confirmed that the three children she had with her were also at the site. None of them, or Hepler, showed any signs of injury from the incident. The other woman remains missing.

Hepler was arrested due to an outstanding burglary warrant, and the three young boys have been placed into protective custody. The investigation is ongoing, and Hepler will likely face additional charges of child endangerment, and possible drug related charges due to her involvement with Orgam’s makeshift lab. The Shasta Inter-Agency Narcotics Task Force has taken over the case, and will be working with the DA’s office to charge Ogram as he recovers from his injuries. They are also seeking the missing woman who left with Hepler.

Read More:

KRCR News: Experts: honey oil production on the rise

REDDING – The Redding Police reported an incident today that have people shaking their heads to figure out what really went on.

It began last Wednesday, when 61-year-old Glen Cox had invited a young man, 29-year-old Devin Kuykendall into his home. It was not clear the reason for their meeting, whether they were two friends just getting together, or if there was some business transaction taking place. But the get-together ended rather badly, as the host asked his young vistor to leave, which Kuykendall refused to do. Cox then tried to force him to leave, and got out a hammer to threaten him. That must have just made the young man angry, as he grabbed the hammer from the older man, and hit him with it several times, including at least once on the head.

Devin Kuykendall with his father Daniel (Danny) (Facebook)

After the attack, Kuykendall was said to leave the home, but grabbed some of Cox’s property on the way out. Thinking he was finally rid of him, Cox locked his door and went to bed, as he reported to police later. In the morning he was awakened by the return of Kuykendall, who was entering Cox’s home. The young man again attacked, punching Cox several times while he was in the doorway. Cox ran from the home, and ended up that Thursday morning at Ace Hardware on Eureka Way, and called police to report the assault at 9:20 am.

Meanwhile, according to neighbors, while Cox was gone, Devin Kuykendall and his father, Danny Kuykendall, 46, began to loot Cox’s home, loading property into a red pickup.

Police are still looking for Devin Whyteagle Kuykendall and Daniel Ray Kuykendall, and no doubt want the hear their story as to why they would brutally attack an older man and then empty his home the next morning.

SAN RAFAEL  -  A gang-related shooting on Tuesday evening ended with one San Rafael high school student in the hospital and another in jail, according to a San Rafael Police Department press release by SRPD Public Information Officer Margo Rohrbacher.

The assailant, a high-school-age male, approached the teenage male victim at Schoen Park on Canal Street in San Rafael early Tuesday evening and shot him twice, piercing the victim’s face and arm. The victim apparently walked one-tenth of a mile west to the front of the Pickleweed Community Center, where SRPD officers first made contact with him at 7:45 p.m. after receiving reports of a young man with a bloody face standing outside.

“[The victim] was able to give a description, and through his description and additional investigative work, we were able to come up with an identification” of the assailant, reported Rohrbacher.

The wounded victim made his way to nearby Picklewood Community Center to get help.

At 2:00 a.m. the next morning, the SRPD SWAT team arrived at the suspect’s home on Lincoln Avenue and took him into custody. Officers booked the suspected gunman at Marin County Juvenile Hall on an attempted murder charge.

Meanwhile, San Rafael Fire Department paramedics took the victim to Marin General Hospital, where he remained for treatment through Wednesday evening. “His injuries are serious, but not life-threatening,” Rohrbacher said.

Rohrbacher said of recent local shootings, “One is too many. We have had a couple of other shootings in that area in the past few months. We can say for sure that this one is definitely gang-related, but we don’t know for sure about the others.” Other recent shootings in the area remain under investigation.

REDDING – Two twenty-something brothers were arrested by Redding Police in a case that looked at first like just goofing around, but ended up with arrests for burglary and prowling.

According to the Redding Police, a call came into the communication center at about 1 o’clock Wednesday afternoon, reporting someone pointing a rifle out of a blue PT Cruiser parked on Redwood Avenue near the North Point Plaza shopping center and Los Robles Hills neighborhood. When officers arrived, they saw two men near the car, and both of them ran from the scene.

Daniel Bonnie ran through the greenback area behind the buildings, and Joseph headed into these apartments.

One of the men, 24-year-old Daniel Bonnie, headed north through the greenbelt. He followed the wooded area behind the nearby houses and was spotted jumping a fence on Jaxon Way. A CHP helicopter was summoned to help locate the men, and Daniel was seen trying to evade both the officers on foot and the copter. He was soon found where the Greenbelt meets the busier Caterpillar Road, trying to hide under the trees.

The other man, Daniel’s older brother Joseph, or Joey Bonnie, 28, went the other direction, into the Meadowood Apartments. He managed to make his way into one of the apartments. When the resident soon came home, Joey grabbed a Trek mountain bike to try to make his escape. The victim flagged down a nearby officer and reported the burglary. An extensive search was made in the neighborhood, and descriptions were given to residents. Joey Bonnie was spotted on the bike further down Redwood Blvd., and he was taken into custody with the bike still in his possession.

Daniel was caught trying to hide in the trees where the greenback meets Caterpillar Road.

As it turned out, the rifle the brothers were spotted with was a pellet gun. It is still not clear what they were up to, and why they fled so quickly when police arrived. It is likely they would have avoided the prowling charge Daniel was arrested for, and the burglary charge Joseph is facing (unless that was his plan all along…) Daniel was also arrested earlier this month, when on Thursday the 13th, he was cited for public intoxication and resisting or obstructing a peace officer. No details on that incident were available, but reports indicate it was likely at Lulu’s Sports Bar at Cypress and Pine Streets.

SACRAMENTO—Sacramento Police were issued arrest warrants on February 26, 2014 for Anthony Mial, 57, and Felecia Williams, 36, for felony child endangerment related to the death of their three-month-old daughter.

On Saturday, February 15, 2014, at approximately 2:38 p.m., officers responded to a residence in the 1100 block of Hawk Avenue in Sacramento regarding a report that an infant not breathing. Officers rushed to the home, along with the Sacramento Fire Department, who declared the child deceased at the scene.

On the day of the incident, homicide detectives were called to the scene because the circumstances surrounding the child’s death were not immediately clear. CSI assisted with documenting the scene. A specific cause of death is pending completion of the coroner’s investigation.

Emergency crews were called to Hawk Avenue, which was later closed off for the investigation

The investigation revealed that both parents had narcotics in their systems at the time of the incident. It is believed they had used narcotics the night before and into the early morning hours of Saturday, February 15, 2014. The next day, around 2:30 p.m., the victim’s father reportedly awoke to find his infant daughter Anthoniece Mial unresponsive. The child was in the bed with her parents.

Although a specific cause of death is still under investigation, police suspect the infant had been deceased for several hours prior to her discovery.

On February 27, 2014, Mial and Williams were taken into police custody at a residence in the 500 block of Lindsey Avenue and booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail.

Read More:

KCRA: Sacramento parents arrested in infant girl’s death

News 10: Sacramento couple faces charges in baby daughter’s death

Thieves pulled off a heist at Laguna Hills jewelers this week, taking as much as $1 million in jewelry, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department reported today.

Investigators were alerted to the crime at South Bay Jewelry Store on Monday, but the actual theft probably occurred between Saturday evening and Sunday morning, according to a department press release.

[Read the full story on AlisoViejo.Patch.com]

Investigation Stems from Arrest of Individuals in December

HOLLISTER—The Hollister Police Department, along with members of the UNET Taskforce, San Benito County Probation Department, the San Benito County Sheriff’s Department, and with an assist from the Gilroy Police Department ACT team, served two search warrants in the City of Hollister. The UNET taskforce is the Unified Narcotic Enforcement Team of south Santa Clara and San Benito Counties. The Gilroy ACT team is that agency’s Anti Crime Team.

They arrested 55-year-old Fernando Ruiz Gonzalez, 41-year-old Pedro Estrada Prado and 21-year-old Daniel Prado Gonzalez on numerous drug and weapon charges.

The search warrants were carried out as part of an investigation stemming from the arrest of two individuals on December 30^th.  Officers were able to obtain search warrants for two homes, on Mariposa Court and at the Mission Oaks Mobile Home Park.

Mission Oaks Mobile Homes, where one of the search warrants was served.

When the team executed the search warrant at the mobile home park, They located a total of nine firearms in the home and arrested the owner, Fernando Gonzalez.  Gonzalez was transported to the San Benito County Jail and booked on charges of possessing illegal and restricted firearms.

The warrant check on the home on Mariposa Court revealed that drugs might have been prepared for sale at the home.   “We seized some ammunition and evidence that suggest that drugs were sold from the home.” Hollister Police Captain Carlos Reynoso stated in a press release.

Officers arrested Pedro Prado and Daniel Gonzalez, who were at the residence when the search warrant was executed.  They were both transported to the San Benito County Jail and charges possession of marijuana for sale. Daniel Gonzalez was also charges with a probation violation.

The Hollister Police Department is asking that if anyone has information related to this investigation to call the Hollister Police Department at 1-831-636-4330.

U.S. Border Patrol agents took more methamphetamine off the streets Tuesday by foiling an attempted smuggling at the San Clemente checkpoint.

Last week, agents found $7 million in meth stashed in the hull of a boat in Oceanside Harbor.

In the most recent discovery, agents searched a pickup driven by a U.S. citizen who had an undocumented Mexican national as a passenger.

[Read the full story on LagunaNiguel-DanaPoint.Patch.com]

Suspect had eluded Police earlier last week

CAPITOLA—The Santa Cruz County Anti-Crime Gang Taskforce have finally got their man.  They arrested fugitive 24-year-old transient Paul Garcia after a brief chase through the Capitola Mall shopping center.

On Saturday, members of the Santa Cruz Anti-Crime Taskforce were on patrol in the 1800 block of 41^st avenue in Capitola when they spotting Garcia.  He was seated in a vehicle. When a member of the taskforce tried to make contact with him this time, Garcia attempted to elude them once again by running through the Capitola Mall on 41^st Avenue. Garcia was wanted by the taskforce for fleeing from them earlier in the week.

“He was discarding items as he ran through the shopping Mall.” Santa Cruz County Gang Taskforce Supervisor Sergeant Stefan Fish wrote in a press release, “He eventually threw controlled substances on a rooftop of a business in the Mall.”

Members of the Santa Cruz County Anti-Crime Taskforce set up a perimeter around the shopping Mall and Garcia was eventually taken into custody without further incident.

Officers located approximately one half a once of heroin and two ounces of methamphetamine from the rooftop of the business.  They also found three to four thousand dollars in cash on the roof.

Garcia was arrested and booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail on the outstanding warrant and charges of possession of a controlled substance for sale, destruction of evidence and resisting arrest.  His bail has been set at 10,000.00 dollars. Garcia is also suspected to be an active gang participant.

EXETER – Two suspects were arrested following a hostage situation in Exeter, in which a man and woman refused to come out of a home with her young children inside.

Police received a report on Wednesday around 8:30 a.m. that a man had tried to shoot his mother with a crossbow arrow during an argument. The mother was not hurt.

Police arrived at the home, located on Kaweah Avenue and Sequoia Drive in Exeter, behind El Taco Man restaurant. The man, identified as Michael Sanchez, refused to come out of the house and had his girlfriend and three children under the age of 4 inside the house in what police believed to be a hostage situation, according to authorities.

Police surrounded the home and a SWAT team went on the roof of the residence.

The girlfriend, identified as Sarah Chavez, was told she could leave anytime, but chose not to. Police later determined that she was involved in the incident and arrested her on charges of child endangerment, delaying police officers and harboring a felon, according to authorities.

No shots were fired during the four-hour standoff and by 12:20 p.m., Sanchez had come out of the home and was arrested and everyone else was able to get out safely.

Read More:

Visalia Times Delta: Girlfriend also arrested in Exeter standoff

On September 24, 2012, the City of Milpitas Police Department received a 9-1-1 emergency phone call alerting officers to a possible burglary at the Arrow Electronics, located at 1680 McCandless Drive in Milpitas. Officers in response drove to the location and set up a perimeter around the building. They detained three men as they left the vacant location, 51-year-old Gregory Matthews Mackin, 50-year-old Jeremy Allen Ring, and 39-year-old Ty Scott Thurston. They had stripped metal and wiring from the building and were on their way out.

A witness had seen them park a vehicle nearby and gain access through a hole in the chain link fence.  Responding officers, after a brief confrontation, where able to arrest Mackin, Ring and Thurston without incident.

This was not the first time for Jeremy Allen Ring. He has been previously convicted of four separate first degree burglaries under PC 459-460 (a), and he reportedly became violent during these acts. Gregory Mackin also has a previous felony charge of selling a controlled substance, a violation under the Health and Safety Code 11378. Mackin was also found with drugs on his person after his arrest this time.

However, Thurston had no known record , but he had become increasingly aggressive with police during this incident. He was also charged with delaying and resisting an officer under PC 148 (a) (1) for trying to evade officers during the time of his detainment and arrest.

this building, formerly home of Arrow Electronics, was vacant when burglarized by the three men.

A plea of No Contest was entered on Dec 20, 2013, and Mackin faced a sentence of 2-years, 8-months in prison based on his plea. No restitution was ordered in behalf of the victim in this case, as they were well aware of the sentencing and sought no further contact with the suspects.

During his detainment Ring wrote a letter to the presiding judge telling him about why he was involved in the incident. He wrote, “Yes, I went into that condemned building. Yes I went in and took some wiring out of the walls”. However, once workers arrived on the scene Ring and the others fled the building with the wiring in the intent to sell the scrap metal.

Sentencing was handed down by Superior Court Judge the Honorable Deborah Ryan in Dept. 30 at 1:30 AM on Feb 2, 2014.

KELSEYVILLE – LAKE COUNTY – The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force has interrupted yet another family business in the small town of Kelseyville.

Clark Drive in Kelseyville.

This morning at 7:20 am, James Russell Samson, 44, and his wife Susan Nalani Samson, 46, were greeted by the detectives, who were serving a search warrant obtained a week ago on suspicion of drug activity at their home on Clark Drive. They found both suspects at home, Susan sleeping in the room they shared with their 2-year-old child, whose crib was pulled up right next to their bed. According to Steve Brooks of the Sheriff’s Department, there was also a coin purse right next to the bed and crib, which contained 10 grams of methamphetamine and a glass pipe. A pack of cigarettes and a lighter were there too, but were not considered as evidence.

The child’s crib placed next to the bed. Coin purse, cigarettes and lighter next to the Pampers on the dresser.

In another bedroom of the house, the detectives found evidence of a meth sales operation, including 6 ounces of meth, a digital scale, and packaging materials. A revolver was also located back in the master bedroom, but it was inside a safe.

The couple were interviewed during the search, and admitted to selling methamphetamine. Both were arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance for sale. Susan was also charged with child endangerment due to the drug being in easy reach of the child in the crib, and with possession of drug paraphernalia.

The revolver taken into evidence will be submitted for review once it is determined who it belonged to and it it warranted any violations for its possession.

The evidence collected at the Samson home includes meth packaged for sale, scales, and a revolver.

The Samsons were both booked at the Hill Road Correctional Facility, and the child presumably placed into protective custody, and hopefully in the care of a relative not in the drug business. The Lake County Narcotics Task force has stated their continued goal to eradicate narcotics from the county and seize profits of illegal drug trafficking. They have asked anyone with information to assist in this seemingly uphill battle to contact them at 707-263-3663, anonymous tips gladly accepted…

Santa Barbara - Daily media updates by Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover point to the fact that the UCSB student body as well as citizens of Isla Vista, Goleta, and Santa Barbara are outraged and demanding law enforcement action pursuant to the reported gang rape of a university coed during the late-night hours of February 22^nd as she walked from campus to her Isla Vista residence.

The unidentified 19 year-old victim, according to Hoover’s initial report “was able to return home to notify her roommate and authorities…and was transported by ambulance to a local hospital for treatment of her injuries.”  Subsequent reports identified her assailants as three Asian males, but since that time SBSD detectives have been unable to locate any possible suspects.

It was not until two days following the attack that SBSD investigators dispatched detectives to work in concert with UCSB Police Officers, Isla Vista Foot Patrol Officers, and members of the County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team to search for any evidence at the scene of the reported attack.  According to Hoover, these teams conducted a widespread area search to “canvas the area for any evidence that may assist with the investigation.”   Two days later, according to UCSB Police Sgt. Rob Romero, detectives found “a personal item belonging to the victim, as well as items that may belong to her attackers.”

That discovery puts considerable weight upon the shoulders of UCSB administrators, who, Romero indicated, have “increased police patrols on campus and will be taking immediate steps to improve security.”  The politically-sensitive nature of this crime on a campus that has seen more than two dozen violent episodes within the past year, inspired no less a figure than Chancellor Henry Yang to reach out via email to his student body and staff declaring “Our campus community has been deeply shaken by the violent sexual assault on a UCSB student on our campus this past weekend, as well as other recent sexual assaults that have been reported in Isla Vista.”

That redundant message, along with assurances of an increase in campus law enforcement staffing, somewhat akin to barring the door after the horses have fled the barn, may assuage some fears but has not brought the offenders any closer to justice.

With a dearth of actionable information at hand, local area law enforcement agencies are conducting a public outreach for any information that may lead to the identity of the much-sought-after perpetrators, and have widely published artist’s renderings of a pair of suspects, with local media outlets plastering them on front pages as “wanted” posters.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to call the Sheriff’s Anonymous Tip Line at (805) 681-4171.

Read More:

LATIMES: UC Santa Barbara gang rape; search and rescue teinvestigation

NY Daily News: UCSB campus on alert after weekend gang rape

SANTA BARBARA — Kincaid Orosco, 18, has been arrested and charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter and a pair of felony drug charges pursuant to the tragic events that occurred in the early evening hours of November 11, 2013.

It was on that date that Orosco, according to Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department Public Information officer Kelly Hoover, allegedly drove his car into and fatally injured Shuguang Lui, 59.  As reported by Hoover at the time, Lui “was declared dead at the scene.” To make matters much worse, at the moment of impact, Lui was pushing a baby stroller bearing an infant who was also injured by the impact.

Pursuant to a three-month-long investigation into the fatal incident, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney determined that Orosco will be prosecuted on the vehicular manslaughter charge as well as on a pair of felony drug charges relating to “the transportation and possession of marijuana for sale,” according to the criminal complaint drafted by Deputy District Attorney Mary Barron.  She further commented to the media that her office “is also considering filing an additional count” for the injuries sustained by the injured infant, and that Orosco could face a total of five years in state prison if convicted on all charges in the complaint.

Photo: courtesy www.inspiredby3.com

Read more:

Santa Barbara Independent: Teen Driver Charged with Goleta Pedestrian Death

Santa Barbara Independent (initial coverage): Woman Pushing Stroller Hit and Killed in Goleta

BAKERSFIELD — A woman that carjacked a man with a knife is currently being treated at a local hospital after crashing the stolen vehicle into a light pole in northwest Bakersfield on Friday night. Monique Hernandez, 29, will be transferred to the Kern County Sheriff’s Central Receiving Facility and booked on charges of carjacking, kidnapping and felony evading, officials said.

According to the sheriff’s department, Hernandez carjacked a 2003 Ford Mustang that was stopped at the intersection of Olive and Knudsen Drive at about 9 p.m. on Feb. 28. The victim told deputies that she entered through the passenger door when he was stopped for a red light, and held a knife up to his neck, telling him to drive.

“The victim then drove to the area of Olive Drive and Roberts Lane where he was forced to get out of his vehicle and another female got into the vehicle,” said sheriff’s public information officer Ray Pruitt. “The victim sustained a minor injury as the suspects sped away.”

A short time later, officials said a deputy spotted Hernandez still driving the stolen vehicle eastbound on Columbus Street at North Inyo Street, where she was asked to stop.

“The suspect failed to yield, leading deputies on a pursuit, which eventually ended a few miles away with the vehicle crashing into a light pole,” Pruitt said.

Hernandez and two other female passengers, along with the victim were transported to a local hospital for medical treatment.

Read more:

KERO-TV: Carjacking and kidnapping ends in arrest of suspect

DELANO — A total of 10 people were arrested last Thursday after a directed patrol in the City of Delano.

Among those arrested were Irvin Chavez for a misdemeanor warrant, Alex Lorona for being under the influence and in possession of a marijuana, Frank Simental for being under the influence and in possession of paraphernalia, Richard Navarrette for being in possession of methamphetamine, Leandro Serna for being under the influence and for being in possession of a marijuana, Juan Lopez for being under the influence and in possession of paraphernalia and one juvenile for being in possession of cocaine.

According to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, the patrol was conducted in response to a recent increase in gang violence in the City of Delano.

Deputies with the Kern County Sheriff’s Office Gang Unit , in cooperation with the Delano Police Department, conducted the operation.

Read more:

KERO: Patrol in Delano leads to 10 arrests

Santa Barbara County - It can be frustrating when waiting to receive something in the mail that doesn’t arrive when we expect/want/need it.  The fact is, most of us simply take a deep breath, take into consideration the complex logistical realities of getting a piece of mail from one specific place to another even more specific place within a specified—if not always guaranteed—period of time.  We know that there are real world reasons why the mail can be late, and most of us just accept them as part of life.

Most of us.

But not, apparently, Dakota Serge, 23, of Solvang, the tourist destination known as “Danish Town” just north of the City of Santa Barbara.  It was just after midnight on February 26^th when Serge was spotted by a passerby who called 911 Emergency to report “seeing a man slashing tires” in a Solvang commercial area parking lot, according to Kelly Hoover, Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer.

Responding deputies quickly located Serge, who was hunkered down in the dark near a car whose tires had obviously been slashed.  Pursuant to his contact with deputies, investigation on the scene revealed nearly a dozen vehicles with flat tires, all with cut mark-slashes in their sidewalls.  Apparently some sense of efficiency had been applied to the destructive task, as a total of 35 tires on those vehicles were destroyed, including 22 tires of six U.S. Postal Service trucks.

Further investigation of Serge’s person revealed that he was in possession of “an American flag, three Danish flags, and a California flag, apparently stolen,” Hoover reported.  Each of those flags was determined to have been forcefully cut down from local area businesses.

Serge was taken into custody without incident, and booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on charges of felony vandalism, petty theft, and public intoxication.  Additional charges are pending with the U.S. Postal Service.

Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department

Read more:

Noozhawk: Solvang Man accused of slashing tires on Mail trucks

STALLION SPRINGS — A probation search in the small rural eastern Kern County town of Stallion Springs on Friday resulted in two arrests.

Michael Perez and Nicole Richardson were both booked into the Kern County Jail on charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine paraphernalia and possession of marijuana.

According to the Stallion Springs Police Department, officers said they discovered 80 grams of marijuana and three bags of suspected methamphetamine, along with property they believed to be stolen, when they conducted their search at a residence located on Arlington Place in Stallion Springs on Feb. 28.

Officers said the stolen property also included credit cards

Further investigation also promoted police to contact Kern County Child Protective Services to open an investigation.

Read more:

Tehachapi News: Two arrested in Stallion Springs in possession of drugs and stolen property

Domingo Tamayo escaped from Lompoc Federal Prison and returned to his hometown of Santa Rosa, and an investigation by Santa Rosa Police resulted in his arrest on the federal warrant, and a whole new set of felony charges.

Tamayo had been arrested in 2007 along with seven other Santa Rosa residents in a federal investigation into Methamphetamine and other drug trafficking. Those arrests were the result of a multi-agency task force investigation begun in 2004. US Attorney Kevin Ryan had stated that the effort was part of a commitment to bring federal resources to the issue of the “growing problem of methamphetamine trafficking in Santa Rosa and the northern Bay Area Counties.”  They targeted organized crime stretching across 3 area counties.

Agents seized of 35 pounds of meth, 4 pounds of pseudoephedrine (a prescription decongestant that can be used to make meth), 3 pounds of cocaine, 5,000 pounds of marijuana, 20,000 marijuana plants, 50 firearms including assault rifles,  and $600,000 cash. The street value of the drugs was estimated to be $5 million. The 27-year-old Tamayo was arrested with seven others, including Javier Tamayo, 31, and Cristobal Tamayo, 18. They were indicted on February 6, 2007. The federal charges against them had potential sentences from 10 years to life.

According to the Santa Rosa police, they became aware of his escape and fugitive status, and began an investigation to try to locate him, including getting several search warrants for known locations he was associated with. As a result, Tamayo was arrested last Friday morning at 8:00. He was initially charged on the open federal warrant, but the SRPD Gang Crimes Team, Violent Crimes Investigations Team, and Narcotics Investigation Team detectives continued their investigation by serving the warrants at several locations.

Santa Rosa Police believed Tamayo was back in town and launched an investigation.

They found evidence that Tamayo was back in his old business in a big way. He was apparently running a marijuana cultivation and sales operation. 50 pounds of marijuana, a loaded handgun, and $10,000 in cash were seized in the investigation. A child was also present in the location, and power was being taken illegally from the grid.

In addition to his outstanding federal warrant, Tamayo was charged new with possession and cultivation of marijuana, being a felon in possession of a firearm, being armed in the commission of a felony, theft of utility services, and child endangerment. It was not clear how long he had been missing from prison, but his next assignment may be to a maximum security facility, since he found a way out of the medium security Lompoc penitentiary.

TULARE COUNTY – Last Tuesday night, February 25, sheriff’s deputies were called to the Tule Indian reservation on reports of someone creating a disturbance and firing a rifle at 9:15 in the evening. According to a sheriff’s press release, responding deputies were fired on when they arrived. The SWAT team was called on scene to help handle the situation. However, the suspect fled the area on foot, and they were unable to apprehend him. However, their investigation led them to believe the suspect was 23-year Larry William Garfield, a resident of the area, who fired the shots from his home on the 100 block of Reservation Road in eastern Porterville.

Garfield had been in recent trouble with law enforcement over the past few months. He was arrested on December 13 for a parole violation, and again on January 17, when he was also charged with resisting arrest. During that time period, on January 13, he posted a message on his Facebook page saying “Man I hate this court [deleted]..just hurry up and sentence me already I dnt care on how much time I do..” And just after the reported shooting incident, he posted other entries that may give a clue to his state of mind. On Thursday the 27th, “im gonna die soon..i really hope they kill me sooner then I think..on da real..”, and on Friday the 28th “man everything is jus a lie..dnt knw wat to believe”. In all cases, he got several responses from friends and family giving him their support.

On Saturday, March 1, The Sheriff’s office got a report that he was present at his home on the reservation, and they responded to the location. They arrived at 3:45 in the morning, but Garfield may have expected them, as he was just pulling out of the driveway. He did not stop when ordered, and proceeded to drive away, and took his vehicle off-road. The deputies in their cars attempted to follow him while sticking to the roads. He headed east, and as they got to the Cholollo campground area, they were forced to abandon the chase because of the muddy and dangerous roads following the recent rains.

Larry Garfield from Facebook “bored”.

It appears Garfield may have gotten stuck as well, or perhaps hid his vehicle from sight. In any case, deputies waiting near his home spotted him on foot at 8:10 that morning. They went for him, and he ran into the home of a nearby family member, but left right away. He then barricaded himself in a house on North Reservation Road, likely his own residence, and refused to come out, making threats to the deputies in the standoff. But before the SWAT team was required again, the deputies were able to convince him to come out without further resistance.

Garfield was charged with assault with force likely to cause great bodily harm, evading peace officers with wanton disregard for safety, trespassing, resisting arrest, threats of violence, and obstruction of an executive officer. He is being held on $300,000 bail with a parole hold.

Anyone with more information about Garfield is encouraged to call detectives Zamora or Klassen at 559-735-1898, or by using Tipnow by phone or text at 559-725-4194, or by email at tcso@tipnow.com.