Merced deputies were looking for a molestation suspect when they found guns, drugs

A man wanted on a warrant charging him with child molestation was on the run Monday afternoon following a foot chase in Stevinson, the Merced County Sheriff's Office reported.

Detectives said 28-year-old Jose Macias Reyna, a Stevinson man wanted in connection with a child molestation case, was not captured during the chase, but deputies did find more than 100 marijuana plants and five loaded firearms, including a stolen shotgun and an AK-47 inside a home on Nelander Road.

Three other people were arrested in connection with the marijuana grow and the firearms, Deputy Daryl Allen confirmed. The names of the three arrested were not immediately available as deputies worked to confirm their identities Monday afternoon.

Detectives were investigating the child molestation case Monday morning and had tracked Reyna to a home in the 2900 block of Nelander Road. Deputies were outside the home when Reyna apparently bolted from the doorway on foot and ran, authorities said.

Three others also tried to run from the home. Those three were captured, but Reyna remained on the run Monday afternoon.

Inside the home, deputies found about 10 pounds of clipped marijuana buds, about 60 plants growing and another 100 or more plants clipped and drying on clothing lines, Allen said.

Details were not immediately available on the warrant charging Reyna with child molestation.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Merced County Sheriff's Detectives Division at 209-385-7472. Tips are confidential and callers may remain anonymous.

This story was originally published December 4, 2017 at 2:59 PM with the headline "Merced deputies were looking for a molestation suspect when they found guns, drugs."