He was driving in Los Banos with 2 kids in a stolen car and drug needles, police say

A 24-year-old Modesto man was arrested in Los Banos on Sunday after officers found him and two young children in a stolen car with hypodermic needles and other drug paraphernalia, police said.

Los Banos police Officer Lyle Kelley spotted a 1995 Honda Accord around 11:15 a.m. on West Pacheco Boulevard. The front of the car had been spray painted black and didn’t have a muffler, police said in a news release.

When the officer pulled in behind the car, the driver headed into the parking lot of a local business and exited the vehicle, police said.

Kelley contacted the driver, 24-year-old Modesto resident Robert Ray Burgess. His sons, ages 4 and 5, were still inside the car when the officer spoke with Burgess. Officers ran a license plate check and discovered the plate number didn’t match state registration records. Investigators determined the car had been stolen, police said.

Inside the vehicle, police found hypodermic needles and other drug paraphernalia. The children were not wearing seat belts and, police said, were in reach of the drug paraphernalia.

Burgess was arrested and booked into Merced County Jail on suspicion of child endangerment, vehicle theft, possession of stolen property, possession of drug paraphernalia and out-of-county arrest warrants, according to the release. He was in custody Tuesday at the John Latorraca Correctional Center in lieu of $65,000 bail.

This story was originally published September 18, 2018 at 12:25 PM.