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By John Hernandez
San Manuel Miner
What started out as an investigation of a theft of guns and jewelry led Mammoth Police and the Pinal County Sheriff’s K-9 Unit and SWAT team to serve a search warrant on the home of Louis Ernesto “Neto” Gallego (age 52) on Nov. 9, 2013, located in the 600 block of Tiger Dr., Mammoth.
During the search, 35 pills later identified as Hydrocodone and four grams of methamphetamine were found. The pills were found in a plastic baggie and no one at the house had a prescription for them. According to Mammoth Police, Gallego admitted to having the stolen weapons in his possession. The weapons had been seized at another residence during the investigation.
Gallego was arrested and booked into Pinal County Jail on charges of: possession of a gun by a prohibited possessor, theft, trafficking in stolen property, possession of dangerous drugs, possession of dangerous drugs for sale and possession of narcotics.
According to police, the investigation started on Oct. 27, 2013, when a complaint was filed with Mammoth Police about a theft of some weapons and jewelry from an address on Tiger Drive. The reporting party gave the name of a suspect in the theft to police.
During the course of the investigation, leads pointed Mammoth detectives to Gallego.
Mammoth Police Chief Marty McIntosh commended his officers in their participation in the investigation and serving of the search warrant. He also thanked the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office for its involvement and cooperation.
McIntosh also announced that the Mammoth Police Department, thanks to the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, will be starting up its own K-9 Unit. They will be receiving a dog and Pinal County Sheriff’s Office Chief Steve Henry has approved a K-9 training program for Mammoth.
Mammoth Police Officer Alfonso Cardenas has been selected to serve as the K-9 Officer. The K-9 Unit will be used throughout the Tri-Community area in “fighting the war on drugs,” said McIntosh. The training will begin the first of next year and last from 5 to 7 weeks.
The K-9 will be housed in a secure kennel next to the police station and monitored by cameras with night vision and supervised by dispatch staff. There is also a storage area for vehicles at the station which will allow the Town of Mammoth to get revenue for the storage if a vehicle is confiscated due to a police matter. Those vehicles that can be released to the owners will be.
Chief McIntosh said that he has seen families torn apart, divorces and children taken from parents due to drug related problems. He wanted to thank those that supported the start of the K-9 Unit which was approved by the Mammoth Town Council at a recently held special meeting. He especially thanked Mayor Alvaro Barcelo, Juan Barcelo, Erik Romero, Gina Medina, and Town manager Patsy Large.
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