Santa Barbara County – Presumably working on the theory that “once a bad apple, always a bad apple”, one way in which the California Legislature has attempted to protect its law-abiding citizenry was to put laws on the books preventing convicted felons from possessing firearms and/or ammunition
Those Criminal Codes are well known to all convicted felons, and their enforcement is generally one of the stronger elements of post-release behavior under terms of felony parole. But Marc Steele, 62, himself a felon now enjoying the perquisites of life “on the outside”, apparently either missed that parolee counseling session or didn’t believe that the prohibition against possessing firearms and ammo actually applied to him.
Guns seized from Steele
Evidence of that, according to Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover, came four hours past midnight on April 22nd when SBSD deputies responded to a 911 Emergency call from a woman reporting that she “was being threatened by a male subject with a shotgun.”
Responding deputies discovered Steele alone in his residence, with no sign of the reporting female. Steele, who is “known to law enforcement”, informed Deputies that he had gotten into an argument with a female “escort” and her male companion over the cost of the “escort” services to be provided. While he denied ever threatening anyone with a gun that night, he did admit to having a shotgun in the nearby garage, which then made the Deputies’ decision an easy one. Steele was arrested for being a felon in possession of a firearm, and was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on those charges.
The following afternoon, with a warrant for the search of Steele’s house in hand, Deputies returned to the residence and discovered four additional firearms, 500 rounds of ammunition, and “a small amount of suspected methamphetamine.”
Steele’s bail was set at $80,000, while SBSD detectives seek any information leading to the identity and whereabouts of Steele’s “escort” and her male companion.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
Read more:
Noozhawk: Felon in Cuyama area arrested for possession of firearms
Santa Maria Times: Felon arrested for possession of weapons
