A man from California is currently in custody after he was accused of indiscriminately shooting and killing over 80 animals in a vineyard. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office began receiving multiple reports of gunfire shortly before 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday near the 16000 block of Avery Lane. Deputies quickly arrived at the scene and heard gunshots, but due to the darkness and dense vegetation, they were unable to immediately locate the shooter. A shelter-in-place order was issued for the nearby residents, and with the assistance of a drone, the suspect and a seemingly crashed vehicle were found.
The Monterey County SWAT team approached the suspect in an armored vehicle and apprehended 39-year-old Vicente Joseph Arroyo of Salinas. Upon searching the area, law enforcement discovered 81 animals, either dead or close to death, including miniature horses, goats, rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens, ducks, and various bird species. The surviving animals were transported to a veterinary clinic, but due to the severity of their injuries, they had to be euthanized.
Several long rifles, shotguns, handguns, an illegal assault weapon, and numerous empty and loaded magazines were also recovered from the scene. Arroyo was initially charged with willful discharge of a firearm with gross negligence, animal cruelty, illegal possession of an assault weapon, and being a felon in possession of a firearm, among other charges. His bail was initially set at $50,000.
However, when detectives executed a search warrant at Arroyo’s residence, they reportedly found seven additional firearms, including an unregistered firearm, commonly referred to as a ghost gun, and approximately 2,000 rounds of ammunition. As a result, his bail was increased to $1 million.
Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto expressed her confidence in a statement that the seizure of these additional weapons has undoubtedly made the community safer. She firmly believes that they have averted another potential tragedy.