Ventura – Some people simply watch too much TV and have difficulty distinguishing fantasy from reality.
Proof of that came on March 14th when Ventura County Sheriff’s Department patrol officers sought to enforce a search warrant upon Jorge Garcia, 27, and Leah Montijo, 32, both wanted on suspicion of dealing methamphetamine.
When their vehicle was spotted by VCSD units, orders went to field officers to conduct a traffic stop and conduct a search of the vehicle as of both Garcia and Montijo, who had been under surveillance for the past month and had been seen conducting multiple narcotics transactions. Compounding law enforcement interest in Mr. Garcia, he had been the target of a recent failed arrest attempt by VCSD units who recovered a stolen vehicle traced to him, inside of which were discovered “a large quantity of heroin and a loaded handgun,” according VCSD spokesman Sgt. Mike Horne.
Leah Montijo
But on March 14th, in spite of his dramatic and somewhat histrionic attempts to evade deputies, when Garcia saw flashing red lights approaching from the rear, he accelerated to a high rate of speed and—apparently believing he was in a TV cop-show car chase—swung his vehicle into a downtown avenue intersection and promptly crashed into a curb, disabling the car, which was quickly blocked from further escape by pursuing Sheriff’s units. According to Horne, it was then that Garcia was observed “throwing a plastic bag from the vehicle,” after which Garcia alighted from the car with Montijo’s 9 year-old son held tightly to his chest as he “used the boy as a shield.”
At that point, Garcia was ordered to release the boy and step away from the vehicle. Refusing at first to do so, deputies eventually “removed the combative Garcia” as well as Montijo, taking them both into custody. The ensuring search of the vehicle revealed five ounces of heroin, 12 ounces of methamphetamine, an unspecified but “large sum” of cash, and a handgun later identified as having been stolen a month earlier.
Both Garcia—a documented Santa Paula area gang member—and Montijo were arrested for conspiracy, felony child endangerment, possession of heroin and methamphetamine, and evading and resisting arrest. Garcia was additionally charged as a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and possession of a controlled substance with a firearm.
Both were booked into Ventura County Jail with bail set at $500,000 each. That’s reality, not fantasy.
Photo: Courtesy Ventura County Jail Booking
Read more:
ABC7: Suspect uses child as shield from pursuing officers
VCSTAR: Police arrest two on drugs and weapons violations
