Hollister
– The former San Benito County Juvenile Institutional Officer
facing two felony gun charges for bringing a handgun to Juvenile
Hall last December was given a plea bargain by the district
attorney’s office Wednesday that will keep him out of prison.
Hollister – The former San Benito County Juvenile Institutional Officer facing two felony gun charges for bringing a handgun to Juvenile Hall last December was given a plea bargain by the district attorney’s office Wednesday that will keep him out of prison.
Manuel Gonzales, 41, of Los Banos, faced two felony gun charges, including possession of a firearm at school, that could have landed him in prison for up to eight years. In exchange for pleading guilty to a single misdemeanor count of possession of a firearm in a vehicle, the district attorney’s office agreed to drop both felony charges, said defense attorney Greg LaForge, who represented Gonzales.
Gonzales was arrested by San Benito County Sheriff’s deputies three days before Christmas for allegedly attempting to smuggle prescription painkillers into the juvenile facility and carrying a concealed weapon. Although detectives suspected Gonzales was bringing the pills into the facility to give to a teenage inmate, the former guard was never formally charged with smuggling pills.
LaForge called the plea bargain a “fair resolution” to the case.
“My client made a mistake. He purchased a firearm and brought it to work planning to register it with a firearms dealer after his shift,” LaForge said. “He is not guilty of a serious felony. My client had a lapse in judgment and he paid the ultimate price for that mistake when he lost his job.”
Gonzales was ordered to complete three years of probation with minimal supervision, perform 15 days of work for the San Benito County Sheriff’s department and pay a $900 fine, LaForge said.
Deputy District Attorney Candice Hooper Mancino said she agreed to the plea bargain after legal questions arose regarding whether or not the parking lot outside the juvenile hall facility where Gonzales was arrested qualified as “school grounds.” Hooper Mancino agreed with LaForge that the plea deal brought a “fair resolution” to the case.
San Benito County Chief Probation Officer Deborah Botts, who oversees the juvenile hall facility, said she thought the sentence was “keeping with the community standards.” She also said she did not expect Gonzales to be treated differently than any other person accused of a crime.
County Superintendent of Schools Tim Foley, who oversees educational instruction at Juvenile Hall, was concerned by the plea bargain. Just weeks before Gonzales was arrested, two suspected gang members were arrested at Calaveras Elementary School after fighting with a gun. Both men received plea bargains in that case because the district attorney’s office was unable to prove which man brought the gun.
“The schools are greatly concerned with the fact that there have been two incidents at San Benito schools involving guns,” Foley said. “That’s absolutely unacceptable. I hope that the severity of the sentences in cases involving schools will be severe enough to deter these kinds of crimes.”
Foley said he hopes to talk with prosecutors at the district attorney’s office about what can be done to prevent future gun crimes near county schools.
Brett Rowland covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
