On Friday, Susanville Police conducted a traffic stop at Third Park on a driver identified as 35-year-old, Justin Lord, of Susanville, for a minor violation. During the encounter, K-9 Zeke conducted an air sniff outside the vehicle after a white powder was observed inside the front compartment. K-9 Zeke showed a positive alert. A search of the vehicle resulted in Officers locating a loaded handgun near the drivers seat. Lord was arrested at this time for illegal possession of a loaded firearm. When searching Lord officers found he was carrying around $3400 dollars in cash and over 9 grams of suspected Fentanyl.
Authorities say after receiving a search warrant for his home, officers uncovered various drugs, including Fentanyl, Heroin, Mushrooms, scales, three AR-15-style rifles, one shotgun, and one pistol, along with ammunition.
Lord now faces multiple charges, including committing a crime while out on bail, possession of controlled substances for sale, possession while armed, possession of firearms and ammunition as a prohibited person, and possession of a short-barreled rifle.
Meanwhile, Lassen County’s sheriff’s office conducted a major bust in Westwood.
Deputies made a startling discovery during a proactive patrol on Saturday, February 24, responding to a storage unit in Westwood. Deputies encountered Anthony Kauwe, a local, and learned of his violation of a domestic violence protective order. The encounter led to Kauwe’s arrest, and a following search uncovered a cache of alarming possessions: a controlled substance, ammunition, and tear gas. Confirming Kauwe as a convicted felon, deputies brought forth multiple drug and weapon-related charges.
Taking the investigation further, on Saturday, March 9, Sheriff’s Office Deputies executed a search warrant on Kauwe’s storage unit. The findings were shocking – several firearms, a substantial amount of ammunition, fentanyl, scales, and explosive devices were uncovered.
The Shasta County Interagency Bomb Squad swiftly responded, evaluating and safely disposing of the explosive devices.
Kauwe is in custody at the County Jail, facing an array of charges, including felon in possession of a firearm, possession of explosive devices, possession of stolen firearms, and more.
This is the second time within a year that Kauwe has been arrested for having firearms and ammunition. He was last arrested in January of 2023 by the Plumas County sheriffs Office, where multiple firearms and a large amount of meth were located within a Peninsula Drive home in Lake Almanor.
The latest case now rests with the Lassen County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution, thanks to the diligent efforts of the Sheriff’s Office Deputies and the invaluable assistance provided by the Shasta County Interagency Bomb Squad.
