4 arrested, drugs recovered, during Hemet search warrant

August 16, 2019 Trevor Montgomery

HEMET — Four people were arrested, and officers seized more than 20 grams of methamphetamine, Fentanyl and Xanax packaged for sales, and ammunition for two types of weapons, when law enforcement officials from multiple agencies served a search warrant at a Hemet apartment complex yesterday evening, Aug. 15.

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Yesterday’s search warrant was served after Hemet ROCS (Restoring Our Community Strategy) Team members began to gather information and develop leads earlier this month that indicated illegal narcotics sales were occurring in the 200 block of N. Hamilton Ave, Hemet Police Lt. Eric Dickson told RCNS in an email response for information about yesterday’s incident and arrests.

At around 6:25 p.m., yesterday evening, members of Hemet PD’s ROCS teamed up with the department’s Crime Suppression Unit, Riverside County Gang Task Force, Riverside County Post-Release Accountability Compliance Team, members of the Hemet Police Detective Bureau, and Beaumont PD’s K-9 “Mila” – who is trained in narcotics detection – to serve the warrant “and saturate the area with high visibility patrol,” explained Dickson.

Officials discuss a search warrant that resulted in the arrest of four people and seizure of a variety of narcotics. Gary Rainwater photo

As more than a dozen officers converged on the location, several subjects were contacted in front of the residence including one who tossed a small baggie containing several bindles of suspected methamphetamine onto the roof of the complex. An officer later climbed onto the roof and recovered the drug-filled bag.

During the subsequent service of the search warrant, officers located Fentanyl and Xanax packaged for sales inside one of the apartments and arrested the occupant.

“The subjects were detained and the investigation led officers to another apartment in the 200 block of N. Hamilton Ave., where they conducted a probation compliance check,” Dickson continued. “Ultimately, more than 20 grams of suspected methamphetamine and ammunition for two kinds of guns were seized from the second location.”

The heavy police activity and law enforcement presence in the neighborhood brought crowds of area residents and curious onlookers who soon filled the street, parts of which officials cordoned off with crime scene tape as their investigation continued.

Yesterday’s search warrant resulted in two Hemet residents, a Moreno Valley man, and a Compton resident being arrested for a variety of charges. Hemet PD photos

During the investigation and search warrant service, officials arrested four people for a variety of charges, according to Dickson.

Those arrested included Tasneka Wilkerson, 26, of Hemet (photo 1); Christopher Mahone, 31, Hemet (photo 2); Benjamin Weatherspoon, 25, of Moreno Valley (photo3); and Keenan Hadley, 22, of Compton (photo 4).

Wilkerson was arrested for possession of narcotics for sales and jail records indicate her bail was set set at $30,000.

Mahone was arrested for possession of a controlled substance for sales, being a felon in possession of ammunition, and violation of probation and his bail was set at $50,000.

Weatherspoon was arrested for a felony warrant for possession of a controlled substance for sales and his bail was set at $50,000.

Hadley was arrested for a misdemeanor warrant for possession of a controlled substance. He was later cited and released.

As of this publication, all but Hadley remained in custody.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Hemet PD at (951) 765-2400. Callers can refer to incident file number 19-7236 and can remain anonymous.

Click any image to open full-size gallery.

Gary Rainwater/Hemet Valley Incidents – above photos

Joseph Briganti/Hemet Scoop – above photos

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 currently writes for or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, the (now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Hemet & San Jacinto 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 29 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.