
Highland, Calif. – San Bernardino County deputies have apprehended a 54-year-old convicted felon from Highland on charges that include possession of what is suspected to be methamphetamine. The arrest was made possible under the auspices of California's new Proposition 36, which promises to clamp down on drug-related crimes. In a report sourced from the SBSD Highland Police Department, the suspect, identified as Richard Perez, was detained following a pedestrian stop where he was found riding his bicycle against the flow of traffic.
Passed by California voters just last month and enacted a little over a week ago, Proposition 36 revises laws from Proposition 47, aimed at addressing issues including drug addiction and theft—a response to what many perceived as a growing crisis, the act adds a slew of Penal and Health and Safety Codes to provide law enforcement with heightened authority to file charges with more severe sentencing. On Friday afternoon, Perez's pedestrian interception swiftly turned into a legal predicament when the deputies found him on felony probation and in possession of a substance believed to be methamphetamine, during a records check deputies found that he had five prior convictions related to drug offenses leading to his arrest and subsequent detainment in Central Detention Center, according to the sheriff's department's press release.
The incident unfolded at the intersection of Baseline Street and Vine Street, where Deputy N. Carnes and Deputy K. Baldridge of the Highland Police Station, engaging in what was described as a proactive stop, stumbled upon the suspect's breach of traffic conduct—and deeper still into the hold of illegal substances. The substance found, a roughly two-gram sample of crystalline shards, laid the groundwork for charges that now stand reinforced by Proposition 36’s enhanced provisions for repeat offenders. Details regarding Perez's court appearance have not yet been disclosed.