Police arrest 4 linked to firearms, meth sales bust

Four Oakland residents have been charged with gun-related and drugs sales violations after a Berkeley Police bust last week, according to court documents.

The Berkeley Police Department said investigators were not available to comment prior to publication, but court documents shed some light on what took place.

On Sept. 11, Berkeley Police officers with a warrant searched a home in the 2400 block of Cole Street in East Oakland, and found seven firearms linked to three different people, as well as what appeared to be methamphetamine and marijuana packaged for sale, and $875 in cash.

In one bedroom, which police said belonged to 35-year-old Lucas Hollingshead, officers found a loaded 9mm semi-automatic handgun, a 12-gauge shotgun, a Colt .45-caliber revolver and a .22-caliber long rifle. They also found about a quarter-ounce of suspected methamphetamine packaged for sale, digital scales, drug packaging material and $875 in cash. Police said Hollingshead “admitted the firearms and suspected methamphetamine belonged to him.”

In another bedroom, linked to 50-year-old Tammy Johnson, who is listed as Hollingshead’s girlfriend on his Facebook page, police found a loaded .22-caliber handgun. According to authorities, Johnson is a convicted felon. Police said she told them the gun was hers, and that she had it for her protection.

In another area of the home, which police described as the sleeping area of Anthony Rodriguez, a convicted felon from Arizona, police said they found a rifle bullet.

Police arrested all three at the scene. Rodriguez remains in custody at Santa Rita Jail with a bail of $175,000. Johnson remains in custody at Santa Rita with a bail of $100,000. Hollingshead posted a bond for his $70,000 bail. They are set for a pre-trial hearing Sept. 24

The search warrant also covered a fourth person, 30-year-old Odin Jensen, who was not home at the time of the bust.

In his bedroom police said they found two bolt-action rifles, a variety of ammunition, about an ounce of suspected methamphetamine packaged for sale, about 2.5 ounces of suspected marijuana packaged for sale, 2.78 grams of suspected cocaine, digital scales, drug packaging and other items. Police said the room was secured with a padlock.

Police arrested Jensen on a warrant in Berkeley on Wednesday. His bail is listed as $295,000 and he is scheduled for arraignment Friday.

The Alameda County district attorney’s office has charged Hollingshead with felony possession for sale of methamphetamine and felony possession of a firearm.

Johnson was charged with felony possession of a firearm and ammunition, which included special allegations because of her criminal record. Her past conviction, for receiving stolen property, took place in Alameda County in 2007.

Rodriguez was charged with felony possession of ammunition by a prohibited person. The district attorney’s office listed eight convictions in Arizona between 1993 and 2012 for Rodriguez, which were related to burglary, aggravated assault, marijuana and the theft of a means of transportation.

Charges listed against Jensen included felony possession for sale of methamphetamine and marijuana; felony possession of cocaine; felony possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon; and felony possession of a controlled substance with a firearm. Authorities listed Jensen’s prior conviction as a 2010 Alameda County case involving possession of a controlled substance.

Berkeley Police spokeswoman Officer Jennifer Coats said the weapons were taken as evidence. She said she was unable to provide further detail because investigators were not available prior to publication.

Though Berkeley Police have declined to comment on drug investigations in the past, they have noted that “it is not uncommon for narcotics investigations to take us into other jurisdictions in the region, as drug dealing operations don’t necessarily follow jurisdictional lines.”

Berkeleyside publishes many articles every day. To see all our stories in chronological order, and read ones you may have missed, check out our All the News grid.

Emilie Raguso