Felon chased down after fleeing Hemet traffic stop – “Ghost Gun”, narcotics recovered
HEMET, Calif., — Authorities say a documented gang member and convicted felon on Post Release Community Supervision (PRCS) probation was apprehended following a late-night foot chase that happened during a Hemet traffic stop Saturday evening, Oct 23.
The felon, who was chased down after a lengthy foot pursuit, was found in possession of a loaded and un-serialized “Ghost Gun” and suspected narcotics, according to Hemet PD.
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City of Hemet Police Officer Whitley Walker was conducting routine patrol shortly after 11 p.m. when she observed a vehicle driving recklessly in the area of Palm and Florida Avenues.
Officer Walker conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle; however, the driver, later identified as Michael Allen Leonard, 37, fled on foot.
A documented gang member was arrested after a foot chase following a traffic enforcement stop in Hemet. He was found to be in possession of a loaded and un-serialized “Ghost Gun” and suspected narcotics. Hemet PD photo
With Officer Walker in hot pursuit, the foot chase came to an end within a residential neighborhood in the area of Lisha Drive and Le May Way, where Leonard was apprehended.
With the assistance of K-9 Bosco and other patrol officers, a loaded “Ghost Gun” and suspected narcotics were located, leading to Leonard’s arrest.
Leonard was later booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance while armed with a firearm, obstructing or resisting arrest, being a prohibited person in possession of ammunition and violation of probation.
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Online jail records indicate he remains in custody where he is being held without bail, and is scheduled to be arraigned at an unspecified court Oct. 27.
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Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
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 30 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 18 grandchildren.