An Oakland man is accused of turning the back seat of an Orinda police cruiser into his own hiding spot, allegedly slipping a loaded Glock onto the floor while he sat there in handcuffs. Prosecutors say the weapon went unnoticed for nearly two weeks and was only discovered when a different officer used the same patrol car during another arrest. Federal filings now move the case into the hands of U.S. prosecutors and put the suspect back in custody.
What prosecutors allege
According to federal prosecutors, 27-year-old Maurice Herron was arrested in Orinda on Nov. 15 on an outstanding federal warrant. They say body-camera footage shows Herron, already handcuffed in the back of the patrol vehicle, pulling a handgun from his waistband and tucking it onto the floor of the car. As reported by The Mercury News, no one noticed the firearm in the cruiser until days later, when another officer used the car and finally spotted it.
Earlier homicide probe and background
Herron has previously been tied to an April homicide investigation in Oakland. Reporting indicates that a parole ankle monitor placed him near the scene of the April 19 killing of Roosevelt Jones and later at Highland Hospital, and he was arrested on suspicion of murder in that case. At the time, coverage noted that Herron ultimately was not charged with murder but did face a charge of possessing a firearm that authorities say was found during the April arrest, according to East Bay Times.
How the weapon was found and the timeline
In the Orinda case, prosecutors say the Glock was loaded with 14 rounds and sat on the patrol-car floor for 11 days. It was finally discovered on Nov. 26, when a different Orinda officer used the same cruiser during another arrest and saw the gun on the floorboard. According to The Mercury News, Herron was initially released to a halfway house following the Nov. 15 arrest but has since been returned to federal custody. A detention hearing is scheduled for Dec. 16 in federal court.
Legal implications
Federal authorities have charged Herron with being a felon in possession of a firearm, an offense commonly brought under the federal statute codified at 18 U.S.C. § 922. That law bars people with prior felony convictions from having guns, according to Cornell Law School. Court filings also point to Herron’s 2022 felony burglary conviction, which prosecutors say makes his alleged possession of the gun unlawful under that statute.
Herron’s case now moves through the federal system, where prosecutors will have to prove that he possessed the firearm and that he was legally barred from doing so. Defense lawyers and the court are expected to hash out issues involving timing, custody of the gun and whether any additional charges or sentencing enhancements might be on the table as the case moves forward.
