Man faces gun charges after traffic stop

Robert Summa, Appeal-Democrat, Marysville, Calif.
·2 min read

Dec. 11—A traffic stop in Yuba City on Friday allegedly resulted in the seizure of an "unregistered" gun that was reportedly hidden underneath the seat of a passenger in the vehicle, the Sutter County Sheriff's Office said on Monday.

According to officials, at about 11:42 p.m. on Friday, Sutter County deputies conducted a traffic stop on a 2015 White GMC Sierra that was traveling southbound on Highway 99 in Yuba City. The justification for the stop, the sheriff's office said, was due to the "dark window tint" that reduced the "driver's clear view through the front windows of the vehicle."

"This is a California Vehicle Code Violation section 25708(a)(2)," officials said.

Deputies stopped the GMC Sierra in the Burger King parking lot on Bogue Road in Yuba City, the sheriff's office said, and allegedly smelled alcohol when contacting the subject of the vehicle.

"The driver was identified as 25-year-old Jose Figueroa and passenger was identified as 22-year-old Juan Baca," the sheriff's office said. "Baca was contacted in the passenger seat of the vehicle. Baca had several warrants for his arrest and was taken into custody without incident."

Officials claimed that while removing Baca from the vehicle, an "opened 'Hennessy' bottle spilt over onto the passenger floorboard." After a search for additional open alcohol containers, deputies allegedly found a "loaded Glock 22, semi-automatic handgun" underneath Baca's seat.

The sheriff's office said the handgun was unregistered in California and that Baca claimed the handgun was his and "said he carries it for protection."

According to jail records, Baca was booked into Sutter County Jail for carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle, for being the unregistered owner of a loaded handgun and two other misdemeanor warrants. Records show he was released from jail on Monday.

Officials said during the stop that deputies also conducted a field sobriety test on Figueroa.

"Figueroa blew a .036 BCA and was deemed under the legal limit of alcohol consumption while operating a motor vehicle," the sheriff's office said. "Figueroa was given a verbal warning for his window tint violation and released from the scene."