Yesterday October 8, 2014 at approximately 11:39 AM, Windsor Police Officers were working special enforcement in the Geyserville area of Highway 101. They stopped a vehicle for a traffic infraction. There were four men inside the car and it reeked of fresh marijuana. The men were suspicious and gave conflicting stories of their recent travels to Ukiah from Southern California. The four men were detained. One of the men had long thick zip-ties protruding from his pocket.
The men were identified as Christopher Montoya, 29 years old, Jose Israel Cabrera, 24 years old, and Johnathan Otero-Cruz, years old 25, of San Bernardino and Filomino Nunez 38 years old of Compton.
A police K9, trained in the detection of narcotics sniffed the vehicle. The dog alerted on the various parts of the car. The Deputies ultimately found approximately 10 pounds of marijuana in various forms of packaging and stages of processing.
In the trunk the Deputies found an assault rifle with a pistol grip and collapsible stock, a shotgun, additional zip ties and several other bags containing marijuana. The Deputies also found three black bandanas, a black ski mask, three sets of binoculars, 15 live shotgun shells, brass knuckles, a black paintball gun and two computers.
Since the drugs, weapons and disguises were particularly suspicious and led the patrol Deputies to consider that there was a likelihood that another, more heinous, crime had occurred or was intended. They called for Detectives to look into the circumstances.
Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office Detectives from Crime Scene Investigations, Narcotics and Violent Crimes Investigations collaborated and conducted the initial investigation with the assistance of the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office. Together they were able to determine that the suspects may have been involved in a home invasion robbery that occurred prior to their arrest. The robbery occurred in Mendocino County near the City of Ukiah.
Detectives from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Bureau to follow-up on the violent Home Invasion Robbery that occurred in their jurisdiction. For information about that crime, please contact the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.
The four men were booked into Sonoma County Jail for Conspiracy, Transportation of Marijuana, Possession of Marijuana for sale, Possession of Brass knuckles, and Possession of an Assault rifle.
In addition, Jose Cabrera and Filomino Nunez had prior felony convictions and were each also charged with being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm.
Jonathan Otero Cruz was also booked for smuggling a quarter ounce of suspected methamphetamine into the jail.
The bail was enhanced to $500,000. They are scheduled to appear in Sonoma County Superior Court on October 10th at 1:30.
case#141008-004
Prepared by Sergeant Cecile Focha
Media Relations / PIO
