Perris traffic stop leads to stolen gun, 3 arrests

PERRIS — A southwest Riverside County traffic stop led to the recovery of a stolen handgun and seizure of drug paraphernalia yesterday afternoon, Friday, Jan. 11. The stop ended with the arrest of three Perris residents.

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Deputies assigned to Perris PD’s Special Enforcement Team conducted a traffic enforcement stop about 1:15 p.m., near the intersection of N. Perris Boulevard & Orangetree Drive in the city of Perris, Riverside Sheriff’s Sgt. Sam Morovich said after the stop and arrests. 

During the traffic stop, SET deputies detained the three occupants of the vehicle. Officials later identified the driver as 21-year-old, Andrew Jesse Escalante. The passengers were identified as 26-year-old, Sara Marie Silvas, and 23-year-old, Luis Perez. All three are Perris residents, according to Morovich.

While searching Escalante’s vehicle, deputies found a loaded and stolen .380 caliber Walther handgun, and also discovered one of the passengers was in possession of drug paraphernalia.

Based on their investigation, deputies arrested all three subjects and transported them to Cois Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta. Escalante and Silva were both booked on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a stolen firearm, felon in possession of ammunition, and possession of stolen property. Perez was booked on suspicion of possessing drug paraphernalia.

Jail records indicate Escalante was released earlier this morning after posting $10,000 bail and Perez was released with a citation. Silva remains in custody on $100,000 bail.

Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to contact Deputy M. Gil at the Perris Sheriff Station at (951) 210-1123, or by email at [email protected]. Callers can refer to incident file number PE190110061 and can remain anonymous. Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s CrimeTips online form.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, moved last year to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor 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, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 15 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.