Police: Merced gang member, girlfriend arrested
A man and a woman from Merced were arrested late Saturday when investigators seized a stolen “AK-47-style rifle” and other weapons from inside their home, the Police Department reported.
Alejandro Gonzalez, 26, who police say is a known gang member, and Steffany Arrellano, 25, were arrested and booked at the Merced County jail after police found the weapons inside their home, officers said.
“They had two other firearms – revolvers, loaded – and the rifle, and they were not secure,” Sgt. Brian Rodriguez said.
Their two children, a 4-year-old girl and an infant, were turned over to relatives, Rodriguez said.
The search warrant was served Saturday by the Police Department’s Gang Violence Suppression Unit at the couple’s home on the 1000 block of West Santa Fe Avenue.
The investigation was prompted after task-force investigators “developed information” that led them to believe there were weapons in the home, police said.
All three firearms were taken for evidence.
The pair were booked on suspicion of possession of stolen property, conspiracy, child endangerment and gang enhancements, police said.
Merced police are asking anyone with any information regarding this crime to contact Sgt. Brian Rodriguez at 209-385-4710 or the Merced Police Department Tipster Line at 209-385-4725. The public can send information via anonymous text messages to the police department by dialing TIP411 and including the word “Comvip” as the keyword in the text message.
This story was originally published January 10, 2016 at 2:51 AM with the headline "Police: Merced gang member, girlfriend arrested."