Here’s your weekly digest of criminal happenings in Gilroy, including a couple drug arrests, fraud and a juvenile committing arson at his school.
Prison release allegedly back to business
Police pulled over a 1997 black Ford Explorer on Murray Avenue south of Leavesley Road at 11:48 a.m. on May 30 after suspecting the car had been stolen. In it, they found Henry Strickland, 34 of Hollister, who was allegedly driving a stolen car on a suspended license and who also had four grams of methamphetamine packaged for sale. Strickland fled on foot and was also booked for resisting arrest. He was sent to Santa Clara County Jail. Strickland was part of a state prison release program, according to Police Sgt. Pedro Espinoza. Â
Contractor fraud
On May 31, a resident of the 8500 block of Magnolia Way reported that a contractor defrauded him for $7,000 by collecting money for deposits and materials for work he never completed. The victim described the suspect as a white male in his 50s who went by the name Patrick Meyer. The Gilroy Police Department is doing photograph lineups to identify the suspect. Â
Student burns toilet seat covers
At 10:30 a.m. on May 31, a juvenile Gilroy High School student allegedly lit toilet seat paper on fire in the bathroom. He denied doing it and refused to allow school staff to search him. Police recovered a lighter from him. The bathroom sustained no damage.Â
Woman arrested for meth possession
Rosa Martinez, a 48-year-old Gilroy resident, was arrested for possession of narcotics when she allegedly was caught at 2:50 a.m. on June 3 with .58 grams of meth on the 800 block of Sergeant Street. She was booked at the county jail.Â
