Mountain Echo Newspaper

On Saturday, 12/14/2019, at approximately 0923 hours, deputies with the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office, City of Shasta Lake Division, were dispatched to the 17000 block of Nellie Bell Lane in regards to an abandoned vehicle left idling in the area. While responding to this call for service, deputies received a separate call for service in a wooded area near Montego Road regarding an unknown male subject that could be heard yelling for help from a ravine. When deputies respo...nding to the area of Montego Road arrived, they could hear the male calling for help. Deputies quickly located the male who they recognized from numerous law enforcement contacts as Rusty Michael Toso, age 41. Toso is currently on felony probation for 2800.2(a) CVC: Attempting to evade a peace officer while driving recklessly. Since 10/19/2019, Toso has been arrested four separate times in or near the City of Shasta Lake. In each of those arrests, Toso has possessed methamphetamine, been determined to be under the influence of methamphetamine, or both. When deputies contacted Toso in the wooded area, they determined he needed no medical attention and noticed Toso was displaying objective signs/symptoms of being under the influence of a controlled substance. Toso explained to deputies on scene that he had gone for a hike and was unable to locate his vehicle where he parked it. While speaking with Toso, a deputy arrived at the abandoned vehicle and determined, through a registration check, it was registered to Toso. The distance from Toso’s vehicle to where he was located was approximately one mile. The deputy with the vehicle conducted a probation search of the vehicle’s interior pursuant to Toso’s probation terms. During the probation search, the deputy located approximately 3.3 grams of suspected methamphetamine, two methamphetamine pipes, and a used hypodermic syringe/needle. After locating the contraband in Toso’s vehicle, Toso was placed under arrest for the following misdemeanor charges: 11377(a) H&S: Possession of a controlled substance, 11364(a) H&S: Possession of drug paraphernalia, and 647(f) PC: Public intoxication. Toso was then transported to the Shasta County Jail. Based upon Toso consistently possessing methamphetamine, deputies then responded to Toso’s listed probation address on the 20000 block of Copper Canyon Road where they conducted a second probation search. While at Toso’s residence, deputies located a 12 gauge shotgun with a sawed-off barrel. Toso was previously convicted of a felony which makes him prohibited from owning or possessing firearms. Through further investigation, deputies determined that Toso possessed the sawed-off shotgun illegally and added the following felony charges: 29800(a)(1) PC: Possession of a firearm as a prohibited person, 33215 PC: Possession of a short barrel shotgun, and 1203.2 PC: Violation of probation. Toso was booked into the Shasta County Jail for the above listed charges and released to jail staff.

On Friday, December 6, at 7:18 p.m., deputies with the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Operations Division conducted a probation search at the residence of Brad Wion, who resides on the 6200 block of Oak Street, Anderson. Wion is currently on probation through Shasta County for 496(a) PC-Possession of Stolen Property. Wion was contacted at the residence, and during a search of his person, deputies located 3.44 ounces (97.8 grams) of methamphetamine and 24.66 grams of he...roin. Deputies also located packaging and scales within the residence which are indicative of the sale and distribution of narcotics. During a subsequent search of the residence, deputies located several items of property which they recognized as stolen property from recent burglary and theft cases. Deputies recovered over $2,500.00 worth of stolen property within the residence and collected it for return back to the rightful property owners. Wion was transported to the Shasta County Jail where he was booked for the following charges: 4024.2(c) PC-Failing Work Release (Misdemeanor), 496(a) PC-Possession of Stolen Property (Felony), 11366 HS-Maintaining a Residence for the Use and Sale of Narcotics (Felony), 11378 HS-Possession of Methamphetamine for Sale (Felony), 11351 HS-Possession of Heroin for Sale (Felony). A photograph of Wion is attached for reference. The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank SHASCOM dispatchers for their assistance during this incident. The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with further information regarding this incident to call SHASCOM at (530) 245-6540.

On Thursday, 11/28/2019, at approximately 1912 hours, deputies with the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office, City of Shasta Lake Division, were dispatched to the 4300 block of Meade Street in regards to an intoxicated subject who discharged a firearm inside his residence with two other occupants inside. The subject was identified as Kenneth George Walsh, age 54. Walsh was recently arrested for DUI and also had a misdemeanor warrant issued for his arrest regarding his failure to ...complete Sheriff’s Office work days as a result of his DUI conviction. Upon arrival at the residence, Walsh was observed moving around inside but would not comply with orders to exit the residence. Walsh eventually opened the front door to the residence but would not leave the threshold. Walsh refused to comply with orders to show his hands and kept his right hand concealed inside the threshold of the door. It was unknown if Walsh was still armed with the firearm or not based upon this action. Deputies attempted to deescalate the situation with Walsh by establishing dialogue with him. Walsh continued to be uncooperative and began threatening the safety of deputies by telling them they would regret not leaving the residence. Walsh continued to escalate his aggressive behavior by making more threats towards deputies. At one point, Walsh exited the residence onto the front porch. Deputies attempted to detain him but Walsh retreated back into the residence. When deputies attempted to detain Walsh, it appeared he was unarmed. Deputies seized this opportunity to pursue Walsh and resolve the contact peacefully. Deputies followed Walsh into the residence where Walsh armed himself with a metal baseball bat. Walsh raised the baseball bat above his head in a threatening manner. Deputies were close enough to immediately engage Walsh with physical contact and attempted to detain him. Walsh continued to violently resist deputies and was ultimately detained in handcuffs after the use of a less-lethal Taser device. Walsh was then placed under arrest for 69 PC: Willfully attempting to deter law enforcement from performing official duties by the means of any threat or violence (felony), 417(a)(1) PC: Exhibit a deadly weapon in a threatening manner (misdemeanor), and the warrant issued for his arrest. Walsh was then medically cleared and transported to the Shasta County Jail where he was released to jail staff. Deputies located live and expended ammunition casings inside the residence but were unable to locate the handgun. Follow up investigation is being conducted in regards to the other two occupants of the residence being victims during this incident. Additional charges may be filed with the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office after the conclusion of the follow up investigation.

On Tuesday, November 26, 2019, at approximately 3:00 PM, SHASCOM dispatch center received a call stating a male subject was in a truck, parked on Old Oregon Trail near Shasta College, pointing a gun at himself threatening suicide. Deputies from the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area and found the subject, later identified as Vincent Siaz, in his truck. Siaz was parked in a dirt lot at the corner of Collyer Rd. and Old Oregon Trail. Siaz was refusing to c...ome out of the truck per deputy’s orders. Officers from the California Highway Patrol (CHP), Redding Police Department (RPD) and Cal Fire were called to assist with closing the roads leading into the area. A deputy with the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office Hostage Negotiation Team called Siaz on his cellular phone and began trying to deescalate the situation and talk him out of the truck. Siaz told the deputy he was armed with an 8mm rifle and wanted to Go down in a blaze of glory. Although Shasta College was on Thanksgiving break they still had staff on campus. The college was asked to lockdown until the situation was resolved. After several minutes of negotiations, at approximately 3:34 PM Siaz peacefully exited the truck. Deputies searched the truck and found an 8mm rifle as well as ammunition for the rifle on the passenger seat next to where Siaz had been seated. A semi-auto pistol was also found in the cab of the truck as well as two more rifles in the bed of the truck. Siaz was taken to a local hospital on a 5150 W&I mental health evaluation hold due to being a danger to himself and others.

On Saturday, 11/23/2019, at approximately 0820 hours, deputies with the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office, City of Shasta Lake Division, served a search warrant at a residence located on the 3900 block of Red Bluff Street, City of Shasta Lake. The search warrant was in regards to suspected narcotics trafficking by Yazmine Anona Billy, age 25. During the service of the search warrant, the occupants of the residence would not comply with the orders given by deputies to open the... door. Billy was then observed discarding unknown items out of a window of the residence. Those items were later recovered and determined to be approximately two grams of heroin and approximately 8.5 grams of methamphetamine. When deputies entered the residence, two more subjects were encountered and detained. Those subjects were later determined to not be involved and were released on scene. During the search of the residence, numerous items of drug paraphernalia were located throughout the home. Multiple Ziploc style bags were also located floating in the toilet bowl which appeared to be hastily discarded. Statements collected and evidence recovered on scene led to Billy being placed under arrest for the following charges: 11366 H&S: Maintaining a residence for drug use or sales (felony), 11378 H&S: Possession of methamphetamine for the purpose of sales (felony), 11351 H&S: Possession of heroin for the purpose of sales (felony), 135 PC: Destruction of evidence (misdemeanor), and 11364(a) H&S: Possession of drug paraphernalia (misdemeanor). Billy was then transported to the Shasta County Jail and released to jail staff.