A Manteca man attempting to sell two lenses for pennies on the dollar led police to arrest him on a $50,000 warrant from 2007 for auto theft and eluding police.
Gualberto Peter “Wally” Gonzales, 27, was arrested by Manteca Police at a downtown delicatessen shortly before noon Friday when he went there to sell two camera lenses for $50 that he claimed were worth the $400 he had supposedly paid for them. He initially said that his expensive camera had been stolen and he had no use for the two extra lenses.
Police said when Gonzales sat down at a table in the otherwise empty restaurant he quickly noticed the gun and badge on the belt of the casually dressed detective. “What’s going on here?” he reportedly asked officer Jason Downs.
Officers said the lenses had not been reported as stolen, but detective Bryan Holland said if they were he hoped the owner would see the story in the newspaper and come forward to identify their property. One lens was a zoom telephoto and the other was a lens that came with a video camera.
Other officers were behind the deli as Gonzales was led toward the alley and put into the patrol car.
Gonzales was transported to the San Joaquin County Jail later Friday afternoon.
Gualberto Peter “Wally” Gonzales, 27, was arrested by Manteca Police at a downtown delicatessen shortly before noon Friday when he went there to sell two camera lenses for $50 that he claimed were worth the $400 he had supposedly paid for them. He initially said that his expensive camera had been stolen and he had no use for the two extra lenses.
Police said when Gonzales sat down at a table in the otherwise empty restaurant he quickly noticed the gun and badge on the belt of the casually dressed detective. “What’s going on here?” he reportedly asked officer Jason Downs.
Officers said the lenses had not been reported as stolen, but detective Bryan Holland said if they were he hoped the owner would see the story in the newspaper and come forward to identify their property. One lens was a zoom telephoto and the other was a lens that came with a video camera.
Other officers were behind the deli as Gonzales was led toward the alley and put into the patrol car.
Gonzales was transported to the San Joaquin County Jail later Friday afternoon.
