Photo: Stock Image
Written By: Robert L. McCullough
November 7, 2022 – Ventura County, Ca. It’s common knowledge among California residents who have been convicted of a felony that owning, possessing, or even being in the same room with a loaded (or unloaded, for that matter) firearm is regarded as a serious no-no and can be construed as yet another felony.
Evidence seized during search warrants | Thousand Oaks Special Enforcement Unit
Apparently, following his prior felony conviction on drug and firearms violations, 22-year-old Thousand Oaks resident Michael Erickson either didn’t get that memo or that bit of information somehow slipped his mind. Considering his record as a user of methamphetamine, the latter may indeed be the reason he was found under the influence of methamphetamine while in possession of a loaded semi-auto handgun on the morning of November 2 nd , leading to his arrest.
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Det. Mackenzie Spears, in late October 2022 detectives “obtained information” that Erickson was walking around while “unlawfully in possession of a firearm.” With that information in hand, detectives obtained and served a search warrant on Erickson’s residence on November 4 th and discovered that he was indeed in possession of a loaded, concealed pistol while stoned on meth. Additional evidence gathered in that search included “multiple firearm magazines, ammunition, and “a useable amount” of methamphetamine.
Ericson was transported to Ventura County Jail, where he was booked for carrying a loaded and concealed firearm, being under the influence of a controlled substance while in possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, possession of ammunition, and possession of a controlled substance. His bail is set at $100,000.
