October 22, 2024 – Imperial County Sheriff's Office officials report that on Sunday, October 20th, 2024, at approximately 4:20 P.M., a North County deputy noticed a vehicle driving in the area of Highway 111 and Noffsinger Road in Niland, CA that had a false registration tab affixed to the license plate. The subject driving the vehicle attempted to evade the deputy by pulling into the 76 gas station. The deputy conducted a traffic enforcement stop on the subject who was later identified as Francisco Renteria from Brawley, CA. Renteria was informed of the reason for the stop and became evasive when asked about the false registration tabs and was noticeably nervous when being questioned. Based on the registration being expired over 12 months, the vehicle was to be towed pursuant to California Vehicle Code storage authority.
During an inventory search of the vehicle prior to its being towed, a backpack was located inside the vehicle directly behind the driver’s seat. The backpack contained a stolen Berreta X4 9mm semi-automatic handgun with a loaded magazine, a baggie containing over 100 blue M30 Fentanyl pills, a large package containing Methamphetamine, and a digital scale. Several blank checks from a variety of businesses were also located inside the vehicle, along with a notebook containing the name, address, Driver’s license numbers, and social security numbers of various individuals.
Based on the findings, Renteria was booked into the Imperial County Jail for a variety of felony weapon and drug offenses.
Source & photos: Imperial County Sheriff's Office
