What started as a routine traffic stop in Empire ended with a high-tech attic takedown, after two men tried to hide from Stanislaus County deputies in the rafters of a home and lost the game of hide-and-seek to a drone and a determined K9.
Stanislaus County's Community Resource Unit, working with the department's unmanned aerial systems team and K9 Hondo, zeroed in on the suspects after a brief chase. A drone-guided search led deputies to an attic, where both men were found and arrested, then booked on a stack of charges.
How Deputies Tracked And Found The Suspects
According to the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department, deputies from the Community Resource Unit were conducting surveillance in Empire on April 3, looking for 37-year-old parolee-at-large Jimmy Gill. During that operation, they saw 39-year-old Ricky Gill walk out of a home and get into a parked vehicle.
A short distance away, deputies initiated a traffic stop. Ricky bolted from the vehicle on foot, but the unmanned aerial systems deputy picked him up from above and tracked him back to the same residence. Deputies surrounded the home and used a public address system several times to order anyone inside to come out.
When no one surrendered, they sent in the tech and the teeth. Using a drone and K9 Hondo, deputies searched the attic area. Ricky was found and apprehended by Hondo in the attic. A continued search through the insulation turned up Jimmy, concealed inside the same space, and he was also taken into custody.
The agency's bulletin states that Jimmy was booked on felony and misdemeanor controlled-substance charges and a parole violation with "No Bail" listed. Ricky was booked on a probation revocation, a domestic-violence restraining-order violation and other warrants, with total bail set at $151,500.
Sheriff's Video And Message
In a Facebook reel from the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office, the department shared edited footage that cuts between drone video, loudspeaker commands and K9 Hondo working the scene in the attic.
The caption pulls no punches: "If you hide in an attic, I promise our drones and K9’s will find you," the agency wrote, as the clip shows deputies navigating the cramped space and Hondo helping secure the arrest.
What Happens Next
Per the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department, both men were booked into the county jail and are expected to appear in court on the listed charges. The bulletin includes the department's non-emergency contact number for tips and closes with praise for the coordinated work of the Community Resource Unit, the K-9 team and the drone unit that led to the attic arrests.
