Burney traffic stop yields stolen rifle, drugs – 1 arrested

BURNEY — A felon on probation was arrested again after an early morning encounter with deputies, Friday, March 22. The probationer, later identified as Quentin Winn, 44, of Hat Creek, was arrested after a traffic enforcement stop for a minor vehicle code violation led deputies to the discovery of a stolen rifle, ammunition, and methamphetamine.

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Deputies assigned to Shasta County Sheriff’s Burney Mountain Station spotted Winn just after 12:30 a.m., and observed that the vehicle he was driving had a broken light. Based on the lighting violation, deputies conducted a traffic enforcement stop and made contact with the driver.

During the traffic stop, deputies conducted a records check and learned Winn’s driver’s license was suspended and he was on felony probation out of Shasta County.

Based on his probation terms, deputies searched Winn’s vehicle, at which time they discovered a rifle and ammunition in the trunk of his vehicle.

“A records check of the rifle revealed it had been reported stolen from a residential burglary in Burney, California in 2017,” SCSO explained after Winn’s arrest. “When deputies asked Winn about the firearm he told them he knew the rifle was in the trunk, but he did not know it was stolen.”

As a felon, Winn is prohibited from owning or possessing firearms and ammunition, and deputies arrested him for being a felon in possession of a stolen firearm and ammunition.

During a subsequent search of Winn, deputies discovered he had two baggies of methamphetamine hidden inside his boot.

Based on their investigation, deputies booked Winn into Shasta County Jail on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm, being a felon in possession of ammunition, and possession of stolen property, all felonies. He was also booked on suspicion of misdemeanor possession of methamphetamine and driving on a suspended license.

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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.