Happy Valley traffic stop uncovers sawed-off shotgun – Woman arrested
HAPPY VALLEY — An Anderson woman was arrested Thursday evening, Nov. 28, after her male companion fled from a traffic stop in Happy Valley, leaving her to take the fall for a sawed-off shotgun that deputies found inside her SUV. Despite an hours-long search, the man who fled from the vehicle was not identified or located, according to officials.
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Last Thursday’s incident began shortly before 7:30 p.m., when a Shasta County sheriff’s deputy conducted a traffic stop on a black Cadillac Escalade in the area of Happy Valley and Olinda roads, Sheriff’s Sgt. K. Bodner reported after the incident and woman’s arrest.
Although the unidentified male driver yielded and came to a stop, the man jumped from the Cadillac and fled the area on foot before the deputy could make contact with him, Bodner explained; saying, “The Deputy was unable to immediately pursue the driver due to a female passenger.”
Stephanie Walton was arrested after deputies found a sawed-off shotgun inside her SUV during a Happy Valley traffic stop. SCSO photo
As other deputies and officers from the surrounding areas responded to the scene to help search for the man who fled, the initial deputy detained the vehicle’s passenger. She was identified as Stephanie Walton, 39, of Anderson.
After detaining Walton, who admitted she was the owner of the Cadillac, deputies located a loaded sawed-off shotgun on the rear passenger floor board of the vehicle.
After securing Walton and the firearm, deputies began searching for the driver who fled. They were assisted by a Sheriff’s K-9, as well as Anderson police officers and a CHP helicopter.
Despite conducting an “extensive search of the area,” the driver was not located, according to Bodner; who said Walton refused to cooperate with investigating deputies and refused to identify the man.
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Based on their investigation and the fact that Walton is the registered owner of the SUV where the shotgun had been found, deputies arrested her. She was later booked into Shasta County Jail in Redding on suspicion of possession of an illegally-modified sawed-off shotgun and possession of a loaded firearm within a vehicle.
Officials are continuing to search for the driver who fled but do not believe he poses an immediate threat to the general public, according to Bodner.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation or who knows the identity and/or whereabouts of the man who fled from deputies is encouraged to call SHASCOM at (530) 245-6540. Callers can refer to incident file number 19S043654 and can remain anonymous.
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Trevor Montgomery, 48, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; 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 16 grandchildren.
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