Shooting report leads Merced County Sheriff’s detectives to stash of drugs and cash

Three people were arrested when a shooting report led Merced County Sheriff’s detectives to a large stash of narcotics.

The April 21 incident was reported this week by the sheriff’s office.

According to the sheriff’s office, deputies responded after 7 a.m. to a home in the 3700 block of Hatch Road (between Merced city limits and the UC Merced campus) for a report of a shooting. In a search of the area, deputies saw multiple shell casings on the ground and spotted 28-year-old Caleph Darnell Eldridge Jr. trying to get away without being seen.

Detectives served a search warrant at the property and located 35.4 grams of fentanyl, 876 grams of methamphetamine, five Adderall pills, 30 Xanax pills, 0.4 grams of heroin and 4 pounds of marijuana; detectives also found packaging materials, paraphernalia and money believed to be narcotic proceeds.

Eldridge Jr. was arrested for a probation violation and on suspicion of possessing unlawful paraphernalia. Amanda Martinez, 32, and Elias Anaya, 27, were inside the home and both were arrested on narcotics-related charges.

Eldridge Jr. posted bail on April 21 and is no longer in custody. Both Anaya and Martinez are no longer in custody after Anaya posted bail on April 23 and Martinez was released, according to authorities.