Five Hollister residents in violation of their parole or
probation will be ringing in the New Year from a jail cell after
being arrested in a police sweep Tuesday.
Hollister – Five Hollister residents in violation of their parole or probation will be ringing in the New Year from a jail cell after being arrested in a police sweep Tuesday.
The arrests came three days before New Year’s Eve, which is the holiday where people – especially those with gang ties or drug addictions – act out the most, said Chief Probation Office Deborah Botts.
“There are fewer fights, fewer DUIs – it’s a safer holiday for the community and everybody’s happy,” Botts said. “We don’t have as many problems for the actual holidays. And it helps these people because they have a clean and sober holiday.”
Officers from the Hollister Police Department, San Benito County Probation Department and State Parole conducted a sweep focusing on gang members and associates, people who were having recent problems with drug use or not cooperating with their probation officers, Botts said.
Officers went to eight different homes of people in possible violation of parole or probation, and made five arrests at four of the residences. The other people were in compliance with their conditions, she said.
“It’s also an opportunity to catch people being successful,” Botts said.
The last major sweep the agencies conducted was in July – the day before the Hollister Independence Rally – when they arrested 11 probation and parole violators.
Since then, law enforcement have conducted several small sweeps where one or two people were arrested, said Hollister Police Capt. Richard Vasquez. But Tuesday’s raid was the largest since the Rally, he said.
One probation officer, two state parole agents and six Hollister police officers participated in the four-hour long sweep Tuesday evening, Vasquez said.
“This lets the people on probation or parole know that the police department will show up at any time,” Vasquez said. “They either comply or get arrested, and that’s what happened (Tuesday).”
Vasquez said the agencies will continue to perform impromptu sweeps to keep probation and parolees on their toes.
“It shows the Hollister Police Department is actively trying to keep the community safe from gang activity,” he said. “You haven’t heard the last of this.”
Out of the five arrested, 26-year-old Orlando Gomez was arrested for violating his parole and 18-year-old Israel Mendoza was arrested for violating his juvenile probation, according to a police-issued statement and the police log.
Ruben Davila, 32, was booked into the San Benito County Jail for probation violation and possession of marijuana for sale, and a 15-year-old male was booked into Juvenile Hall for probation violation and possession of suspected methamphetamine, according to the statement.
Another 16-year-old male, who was not on the list of possible violators, was arrested for assault on an officer and resisting arrest after he tried to hit one of the officers who was searching the home of one of the suspects, said Detective Sgt. James Weathers, who participated in the sweep.
Weathers said another reason police like to do gang-related sweeps before the holiday is to see if any of the suspects have weapons in their homes.
“Instead of fireworks people like to fire off guns and bullets come crashing down,” Weathers said.
Officers did not find any guns during the sweep, he said.
Although one of the suspects resisted arrested, Weathers said the sweep went smoothly.
“There were some cooperative people,” he said. “Even most of the ones who got arrested were cooperative.”
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or em*******@fr***********.com
