Friday - April 04, 2008 - 4:10 p.m. - Newhall:
Commit Crime? - Not in the Santa Clarita Valley - In a perfect example of the community working together with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station, a suspected drug dealer was arrested Friday. In response to anonymous on-line crime tips submitted through the SCVSheriff.com website regarding a suspicious vehicle, deputies increased patrols in a Newhall neighborhood near Placerita Canyon Road and 12th Street.
The anonymous crime tips turned out to be right on track and deputies assigned to the City of Santa Clarita - Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff Station's Community Interaction Team (CIT), who were conducting the directed patrols, spotted a vehicle matching the description and conducted a traffic stop. Deputies identified three suspected gang members and arrested a Newhall man, MH/21, when they reportedly found individually packaged baggies of marijuana and methamphetamine in the vehicle he was driving.
"This is just the way we drew it up", said Captain Anthony La Berge of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station. "We cannot do it alone! We need the eyes, ears, and involvement of our residents to keep the Santa Clarita Valley safe. Those individuals who are considering committing crimes should be aware that our community is very active and involved in crime prevention efforts and there is a very good chance these criminals will be identified and arrested. Many of these anonymous tips are leading us right to these perpetrators", he added.
The suspect, whose name is not yet being released, was booked at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station on felony charges of Possession of Marijuana for Sales and Possession of Methamphetamine for Sales. He was later released after posting $20,000 bond pending future court proceedings.
The investigation is ongoing and there is no further information at this time. -ref 06005
If You See Something, Say Something! Report non-emergency crime anonymously by visiting the following link: Crime Tips or calling (661) 284-2-TIP / (661) 284-2847.
Always verify the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff Station's information and news releases by visiting our website at SCVSheriff, the City of Santa Clarita's website at Santa-Clarita, the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department's website at LASD or a trusted local news source. Three other local news outlets are KHTS AM-1220, The Signal and The West Ranch Beacon. For questions regarding this release, contact Sergeant Harris at (661) 799-5814.
