Tulare County gang sweep results in 31 arrests
TULARE COUNTY — A multi-agency gang sweep in Tulare County netted 31 arrests on Friday.
The Tulare County Sheriff Department’s South County Gang Violence Suppression Unit, Porterville Police Department, California Highway Patrol, and several more agencies conducted a series of warrant, probation and parole searches in a high-profile suppression operation in the south county towns of Porterville, Strathmore, Poplar, Woodville, Terra Bella, Ducor and Richgrove.
Approximately 40 gang members were identified and 31 people were taken into custody as a result of the gang operation, according to the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department.
“When contact is made with a person believed to be a gang member there is certain documentation that must be made to ‘validate’ them as a gang member,” sheriff’s spokesman Chris Douglass said. “This would be how 40 were identified. Thirty-one of the 40 actually committed crimes.”
Charges against the suspects included assault with a deadly weapon, driving under the influence, and possession of narcotics. One suspect taken into custody was a high-risk sex offender who had removed his electronic monitoring device, according to the sheriff’s department.
During the operation, officers also arrested two individuals for a drive-by shooting in the 20900 block of Avenue 8 in the town of Richgrove.
In addition to the arrests, officers issued seven citations and towed four vehicles. Detectives also seized several items of gang indicia and approximately three ounces of narcotics during the operation.
