Police recovered an unknown amount of methamphetamine and
arrested seven people on suspicion of a variety of charges at an
east Morgan Hill residence Friday.
Police recovered an unknown amount of methamphetamine and arrested seven people on suspicion of a variety of charges at an east Morgan Hill residence Friday.
Two Morgan Hill officers initially responded to the house on the 17100 block of Pine Way about 9 a.m., after receiving a call that someone was shooting off fireworks and might have been trespassing at the house, according to Sgt. Shane Palsgrove.
When officers arrived, a man exited the house, and when officers approached him he threw what police later determined to be a quantity of drugs onto the roof.
Police learned that more people were inside the home and more officers, plus deputies from the Santa Clara Sheriff’s Office, were called to assist.
A total of seven adults – four males and three females – were arrested. Six were in custody in the back of a police van, and one was handcuffed with his shoes off and talking to police outside at 10 a.m. The male suspect outside was later led into the police van.
The men and women were arrested on suspicion of drug charges, probation violations and warrants, Palsgrove said.
Arrested were Terri Tollner, 31 of San Jose; James Bane, 26 of Royal Oaks; Jason Liberty, 40 of Morgan Hill; Angelina Gajardo, 20 of San Jose; Media Golafshan, 30 of Palo Alto; Matthew Leone, 33 of Gilroy; and David Pequeno, Jr., 30 of San Jose.
Seven Morgan Hill police vehicles were parked outside the residence, surrounding the front of the home’s driveway and a Chevrolet Silverado sport-utility vehicle.
A search of the home with Morgan Hill’s K-9 recovered an unspecified amount of methamphetamine and possibly other drugs, Palsgrove said. Officers carried five brown paper bags marked “evidence” out of the house during the search. Animal Control officer Daniel Pina took a small dog with a towel wrapped around it into custody.
Palsgrove said details of the arrests and search are still under investigation, including whether or not the suspects resisted officers, and whether or not they were authorized to be at the home. He said the house has “a history of narcotics” activity, and the homeowner was not on the property. He did not know the weight of drugs recovered from the residence.
No officers were injured, but Palsgrove indicated at least one suspect might have received minor injuries, and no one required medical treatment at the scene or a hospital.
The front yard of the house, which is in a quiet residential neighborhood, was unkempt with weeds growing in a flower bed that contained unhealthy plants. The grass on the front lawn was long and uncut.
A cart in front of the house contained yard debris and trash, and displayed a hand-painted sign that read “garage sale.” Just inside the garage door, which was open, was a table containing a laptop computer and other electronics equipment. A Chevrolet El Camino was parked in the driveway.
Palsgrove said in addition to a dog, the house also contained two cats, though he did not indicate whether or not the animals are part of the investigation.
Although a nearby resident claimed to have heard gunshots – not fireworks – before police arrived, Palsgrove said no evidence of firearms was found.
