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Gang members have repeating patterns

A pattern, according to Wikipedia, is a theme of recurring events. Like, for instance, violating probation by driving around with gang buddies and a concealed weapon or two, crossing paths with police officers and ending up in jail, more than once.

It’s a common pattern.

At 1:25 a.m. on Sept. 19, Sonoma Valley Sheriff’s deputies stopped a white Toyota 4Runner on Eighth Street East and Napa Road because it appeared to be traveling erratically. As deputies approached the vehicle, the familiar fragrance of marijuana approached them.

Besides the driver, there were two passengers in the Toyota – one in front and one in back. A deputy asked if anyone had any marijuana and the driver answered he had smoked some earlier. Meanwhile, the backseat passenger seemed to be moving around nervously and somewhat furtively.

The deputy suspected something untoward was transpiring and ordered the driver out of the Toyota while he did a background check by radio. Dispatch quickly reported that all three had gang alerts attached to their names, so the deputy ordered the two passengers out of the vehicle. One of them appeared to have significant bulges in his pockets. When the deputy asked what was in his pockets, the man answered, “My weed.”

All three men had commonly identified gang tattoos, ranging fromthree dots beneath one man’s right eye to the words, “F*** cops,” “Ruthless” and “LA Dodgers” on various parts of his body.

While one deputy detained the three, another deputy searched the car and found, in a pocket behind the front passenger seat, an unloaded, black and silver, 9 mm, Walther semi-automatic pistol.

The presence of the gun in the vehicle came as an apparent surprise to all three men, each of whom denied any knowledge of it and claimed they had no idea it was in the car.

Deputies nevertheless arrested 19-year-old Marvin Zamudio, of Boyes Hot Springs, for felony possession of a concealed weapon; 19-year-old Eliseo Garfia, of Agua Caliente, for felony possession of a concealed weapon; and 19-year-old Henry Morgan, of Aqua Caliente, for violation of probation, and being a felon in possession of a handgun. All three were additionally charged with gang enhancements.

Five days later, on Sept. 21, a Sonoma police officer pulled over a green Honda Accord on West Napa Street, a little after midnight, because the car had no functioning license plate light. Here comes the pattern.

A rear seat passenger identified himself as Marcus Rodriguez, but had no ID. The car was evacuated and police conducted a search that turned up a 17-inch, black metal pipe. One of the suspects immediately explained, “That’s not a weapon.” He was, it turned out, on felony probation. He was also, it turned out, named Henry Morgan, not Marcus Rodriguez.

Morgan was arrested on charges of providing false identification to a police officer, felony probation violation and felony possession of a billy club. Omar Rodriguez, 19, was charged with misdemeanor probation violation and felony possession of a billy club. Both men were booked into the Sonoma County jail.

In other incidents reported to local law enforcement:

Friday, Sept. 21:

10 a.m. – Better to sign citation than to sit in jail? Two 17-year-old high school seniors decided to share some tequila in wood shop class by concealing it in a bottle of Arrowhead drinking water. Their clever deception unraveled when one of the two consumed enough to be noticeably drunk.

The boys were detained, a breath test was administered, and one of them registered a blood alcohol level of .087. His father arrived and indignantly refused to let his son sign the citation, refusing as well to sign it himself. He insisted instead that his son be transported to Sonoma Valley Hospital for evaluation. Police complied, the son still had a sizeable BAC, but, according to the police report, the father’s refusal to allow signing of the citation precluded release of the son to this father. He was therefore necessarily booked into juvenile hall for being underaged and intoxicated in public. The youth’s 17-year-old accomplice was charged with violation of Sonoma’s social host ordinance for making the tequila available, although his breath test indicated he had consumed little or none of the booze.