In a Feb. 14 news release, the San Benito County Sheriff's Office reported that since Jan. 23, its deputies have seized "31 firearms, nearly 13,000 rounds of ammunition and assorted narcotics."
Capt. Eric Taylor, asked by BenitoLink if the arrests were connected in any way or part of an effort targeting particular individuals, said "It was just recent proactive activity. Nobody targeted."
The firearms confiscated during the recent arrests include two shotguns, 14 handguns and 15 rifles. The ammunition was assorted, to include, .22 caliber, .30 cal, .38 special, .40 cal, .45 cal, .223, and 375 Winchester. There was also gang indicia and evidence of narcotics sales in these cases, the Sheriff's Office said, noting that in each case, there was at least one active gang member arrested.
These cases are as follow:
Jan. 23: Traffic stop (Deputy Creager – Case 17-0096) on Hwy. 156 at Pacheco Creek Dr. – Driver David Martinez, age 26, arrested for possession of a loaded, stolen handgun.
Jan. 28: Probation search (Sergeant Mull – Case 17-0118) in the 400 block of Rose Ave. – Steven Marshall (47), Iran Perez (34) and Julia Cobos (40) were arrested for possession of 13 rifles, 12 handguns, one shotgun, methamphetamine and 12,581 rounds of ammunition.
Feb. 10: Search warrant (Deputy Creager – Case 17-0160) in the 900 block of Nash Rd. – David Martinez and Annette Cuellar (29) were arrested for possession of two rifles, one shotgun, narcotics and charged with child endangerment.
Feb 13: Traffic stop (Deputy Creager – Case 17-0175) on Hwy. 156 at Mitchell Rd. – Rafael Magana-Padilla (20) was arrested for possession of a concealed, loaded handgun.
The sheriff's press release noted that the arrests were "made possible by the proactive, hard work of our Sheriff’s Deputies and Task Force Agents. It was through this hard work our deputies took 31 firearms and nearly 13,000 rounds of ammunition off of the streets of our county. These firearms were possessed in an illegal manner, by persons prohibited from possessing them."
Anyone with information on these, or any other cases, is asked to call the anonymous tip line at (831) 636-4084.
