Police Blotter: Shank Found in Homicide Suspect's Cell

A homemade weapon was found in the jail cell of one of the five young men accused of crimes connected to the gang-related shooting death of a Watsonville teenager in December, the Sheriff's Office reported.

Correctional staff discovered the "shank" in a cell that shares with two other inmates around 12:30 p.m. Sunday, according to the Sheriff's Office, which runs the county jail system.

Rodriguez was arrested late on Dec. 10 with David Moreno Sanchez, 19, Juan Carlos Soto Gonzalez, 20, Carlos Valencia, 22, and Uriel Ortiz, 18, on suspicion of crimes related to the fatal shooting of Jesse Lopez, 14, on Hecker Pass.

The five, all from the Watsonville area, have pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include gang participation. All but Ortiz, who faces lesser charges than the others and posted bail, remain in County Jail in Santa Cruz.

Rodriguez is housed in the cell with Rogelio Alexis Meza and Julio Cesar Lopez. Meza, 20, was arrested in Santa Cruz on Thursday for a probation violation and Lopez, 25, was arrested Feb. 23 in Watsonville on suspicion of violating his parole.

Correctional staff did not reveal which one of the three men the shank—a homemade weapon that resembles a knife or dagger—may belong to or where it came from.



For all of Patch's coverage of Jesse Lopez's death, click here.

Watsonville Police Log, Monday, March 5

7:16 a.m.—A 30-year-old man was arrested for public intoxication at Motel 6 on Silver Leaf Drive.

8:56 a.m.—A vandal spray painted graffiti on a building on the 400 block of Rogge Street overnight.

10:31 a.m.—An armed person shot a pellet through a window pane of a home on the 100 block of Park Way.

10:49 a.m.—A thief took an unlocked bike from the 100 block of Kearney Street.

5:25 p.m.—A teenager was caught shoplifting from Kmart on Freedom Boulevard.

5:40 p.m.—Police investigated an assault on the 400 block of East Beach Street. Officers spoke with one man who was in the area at the time.

7:56 p.m.—A burglar kicked down the door of a home on the 100 block of Pera Drive and ransacked the master bedroom, but the alarm was activated. It appeared nothing was taken.