The Benicia Herald

SOME of the 59 guns police confiscated from a Benicia resident Thursday, including a 9mm UZI.
Courtesy BPD

By Donna Beth Weilenman
Staff Reporter

A 49-year-old Benicia man has been arrested and a cache of guns, including an illegal 9 mm UZI assault weapon, were confiscated after Benicia police looked into reports Thursday that the man had been harassing a 20-year-old Martinez woman, Lt. Mike Daley said.

The arrest came after Officer Damiean Sylvester obtained statements from both individuals and discovered the man had been convicted in Utah of a felony charge of possession of methamphetamine, Daley said.

During his investigation, Sylvester learned the man was in illegal possession of several firearms, including the assault weapon, Daley said.

Police went to the man’s home in the 300 block of East O St., where he told police he was in possession of several firearms that belonged to his late father, Daley said. The man said he was storing them for his stepmother. Daley said police have not learned where the stepmother lives.

Courtesy BPD

Daley said the man “cooperated with the officers, and showed them the weapons.” He said they were found “secure in two different gun safes within the home.”

Police confiscated 46 shotguns and rifles, one of which was an illegal sawed-off shotgun, 13 handguns, including the 9 mm UZI, and ammunition for the weapons.

They arrested the man, whom they identified as Ronald Sandy, and charged him with being a felon in possession of firearms, possession of a rifle having a barrel length less than 18 inches, possession of an assault weapon, and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. All charges are felonies.

Sandy was booked into Solano County Jail in Fairfield on $30,000 bail. He posted bail early Friday and has been released, Daley said.

“Although they knew Sandy may have had some firearms in his home, officers were surprised to find such a large cache of both rifles and handguns,” Daley said.

He noted that Benicia police “face the very real danger every day of dealing with people who illegally possess firearms.

“In this case, even if this person was not a convicted felon, officers came across a sawed-off shotgun and UZI assault weapon that have now been removed from our community.”