RIVERSIDE: Two men, 1 with explosive device in pocket, arrested

RIVERSIDE – Two men, one of whom had an explosive device inside his pocket were arrested after a traffic stop Monday, Dec. 19. The stop and arrests happened near Monroe Street and Lincoln Avenue in the City of Riverside.

 

The incident began about 8 p.m., when an officer made a traffic enforcement stop on a vehicle with three occupants.

During the traffic stop, the officer learned that one of the three occupants, who was later identified Damon Lopez, 39, of Corona, was on active Post-Release Community Supervision. During a search the officer discovered Lopez was in possession of methamphetamine for the purpose of sales.

The officer also determined one of the two passengers in the vehicle, identified as Isaiah Rocha, 38, of Riverside, had a “small suspected homemade explosive device in his pocket,” according to a press release from the department.

All three occupants were safely detained and detectives from the Technical Services Unit were called out to assume the investigation.

Bomb Squad detectives from the Technical Services Unit rendered the small homemade explosive device safe.

Officials next went to Rocha’s residence and conducted a search at the home. During a search of the residence, detectives located a second explosive device.

“It too was rendered safe by the bomb squad,” according to a Riverside police official.

After an investigation, officers arrested Rocha for possession of the homemade explosive devices. Officers also arrested Lopez for drugs and probation violations.

Officers identified and released the third occupant from the vehicle.

A jail records search revealed Damon was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center on suspicion of possession of narcotics for sale, possession of narcotics with intent to distribut and violation of probation. He is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail and is scheduled to be arraigned at the Riverside Hall of Justice Dec. 22.

Rocha was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center on suspicion of possession of a destructive device and possession of fireworks without a permit. He is being held in lieu of $50,000 bail and is scheduled to be arraigned at the Riverside Hall of Justice Dec 22.

 

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Trevor Montgomery spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including the Robert Presley Detention Center, the Southwest Station in Temecula, the Hemet Station, and the Lake Elsinore Station, along with many other locations.