The District Attorney’s Office charged a local probation officer
arrested for smuggling drugs into Juvenile Hall with two felony gun
offenses but declined to file charges for allegedly bringing
prescription drugs into the facility due to a lack of evidence.
Hollister – The District Attorney’s Office charged a local probation officer arrested for smuggling drugs into Juvenile Hall with two felony gun offenses but declined to file charges for allegedly bringing prescription drugs into the facility due to a lack of evidence.
San Benito County Juvenile Institutional Officer Manuel Gonzales, 41, of Los Banos, was arrested last week on felony arrest charges of carrying a concealed weapon, child endangerment and smuggling drugs into a juvenile facility, along with misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to the Sheriff’s Department. Deputies arrested and searched him in front of Juvenile Hall Dec. 21 and confiscated a loaded revolver and prescription pills, police said.
District Attorney John Sarsfield charged Gonzales with carrying a concealed weapon and bringing a firearm onto school grounds – both felonies that can result in Gonzales being locked-up for a maximum of five years, according to Sarsfield. However, Gonzales was released from custody Friday on his own recognizance.
“We didn’t think there was sufficient evidence to warrant charging him,” Sarsfield said regarding the allegation of drug smuggling but declined to elaborate on the specifics.
