Photo: Eduardo Morales and gun
Ventura County – As convenient and addictive as today’s smartphones and their apps can be, using them to harass or threaten a romantic partner is surely an unwise use of their technology…as well as a violation of criminal statutes.
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Vince Alvarez, however, that’s exactly what 18-year-old Fillmore resident Eduardo Morales did on the night of August 30th. It was just after 9:00 p.m. when a female victim contacted deputies attached to the Fillmore Police Station to report that “she was being threatened by her ex-boyfriend via text messages and phone calls.”
Attached to those text messages were “images of a handgun and ammunition” as well as written communication by Morales indicating his intent to “do harm” to her at her place of employment.
With those allegations and text message evidence at hand, detectives made contact with Morales and conducted a search of his residence. At his home, the cops discovered “suspected cocaine, Xanax, and a loaded 9mm semi-automatic firearm.” The pistol displayed an “illegally altered” serial number and Morales was promptly taken into custody.
Morales was transported to Ventura County Jail, where he was booked on multiple charges, including PC422, Making Criminal Threats, possession of cocaine while armed with a firearm, possession of a firearm by a drug addict, possession of Xanax, and altering the serial number of a firearm. He remains in custody, with his bail set at $60,000.
Photos: Courtesy Ventura County Jail Booking, VCSD Fillmore Patrol
