The Eureka Times-Standard
The Eureka Police Department arrested a recently-released Eureka parolee, allegedly in possession of a loaded firearm, and an Arcata man with a felony arrest warrant early Monday morning, according to a press release.
After EPD conducted a traffic stop at 2:46 a.m., officers arrested driver Tommy Allen Horton, 35, of Arcata, on a felony warrant and parolee Matthew Robert Painter Jr., 32, of Eureka, for allegedly possessing a loaded gun.
Both were booked into the Humboldt County jail, with Painter booked on charges of possessing a firearm, possession of a loaded firearm and a felon in possession of ammunition. Painter is an active parolee who has been out of prison for about one week and failed to report to his parole officer after his release, according to the EPD.
Two female passengers were identified and released at the scene.
While Horton was arrested without incident, Painter said he did not have any form of identification, the release said. An officer reported that Painter appeared nervous and wouldn’t make eye contact. Painter said his last name was McCovey, but when the officer asked him to spell his last name, he spelled it incorrectly.
Officers removed Painter from the car and detained him in handcuffs. During a search, officers found a loaded Glock handgun concealed in Painter’s pants pocket.
Copyright 2011 Eureka Times-Standard