Yesterday, officers from the Santa Rosa Police Department responded to a burglary alarm in the 1700 block of Piner Road. This incident unexpectedly led them to a felon in possession of a firearm, according to a Santa Rosa Police Department (SRPD) news release. The alarm, later deemed false, was the precursor to the discovery of Justin Caldwell, a 57-year-old with an outstanding warrant, rummaging through a dumpster.
Caldwell's encounter with the law began with a simple directive to sit down after being recognized by an officer for his warrant. The officers' routine patrol suddenly sparked by a loud bang, which was Caldwell rifling through refuse. During the process, footage showed him discarding a baggie, later confirmed to contain suspected methamphetamine, into nearby bushes. Further investigation quickly revealed that Caldwell had stashed a .22 caliber rifle, which, as a convicted felon, he is legally prohibited from possessing in the dumpster he was searching through.
The SRPD's encounter with Caldwell resulted in more than just the recovery of the firearm. A subsequent search unveiled a glass pipe typically used to smoke methamphetamine in his backpack. Caldwell was placed under arrest and now faces charges for possession of a controlled substance, drug paraphernalia, and being a felon in possession of a firearm, as detailed by the SRPD's summary of the incident.
