(WI) 4-year-old taught to load shotgun: Incident leads to dad's arrest on drug charge

[Drizzt]

4-year-old taught to load shotgun: Incident leads to dad's arrest on drug charge
By Janine Anderson

WATERFORD - A Waterford man was charged Wednesday with manufacturing marijuana, possession of cocaine, maintaining a drug trafficking place, possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of drug paraphernalia and disorderly conduct.

Alfredo Raymond Valdez, 32, was arrested about 4:45 p.m. Monday.

Deputies went to his home, 621B Edmund St., after his ex-wife called to report he was teaching their 4-year-old son how to load a shotgun and that they were going to leave the state. He also told her that if he saw a police officer, he would shoot them immediately.

Valdez initially refused to leave the residence. After a stand-off, he came out with a cell phone in one hand and a cigarette in the other. He was taken into custody. A small child also came out of the building and was taken to safety.

While doing a protective sweep of the house deputies found 20 marijuana plants growing under the stairs. They also found a .22-caliber semi-automatic rifle in a pile of clothing. Shells were found in the kitchen, bedroom and glove compartment of Valdez's truck.

Deputies also found 1.3 grams of cocaine, 0.8 grams of marijuana, several marijuana pipes and scale in the residence and truck. Four highway department road signs were found in his garage.

http://www.journaltimes.com/articles/2006/02/02/local/iq_3883450.txt

 

[Janitor]

...charged Wednesday with manufacturing marijuana...

"manufacturing"?

I hope he taught basic gun to the lad before they carted him off.

 

[Leatherneck]

Four highway department road signs were found in his garage.

Methinks everybody's fixin' to pile on this upstanding citizen.

TC

 

[Pilgrim]

Deputies went to his home, 621B Edmund St., after his ex-wife called to report he was teaching their 4-year-old son how to load a shotgun and that they were going to leave the state. He also told her that if he saw a police officer, he would shoot them immediately.

I think it's safe to say that their divorce was not a 'friendly' divorce.

Pilgrim

 

[YellowLab]

So now just LOADING a gun is illegal?

What law did this guy break that would allow the police to show up?

 

[Janitor]

So now just LOADING a gun is illegal?

What law did this guy break that would allow the police to show up?

Not sure, but I suspect it was the "leaving the state" bit. I'm guessing there was a custody issue at stake.

 

[Pilgrim]

Not too long ago in the PDRK, an ex-wife raised a stink about her policeman ex because he left his pistol on the top of the dresser drawer while his son was visiting. The boy was a toddler, and it was inconceivable the lad could climb the furniture to get to the pistol, but mom raised such a ruckus that the officer was disciplined by his department and had additional restrictions placed on visitation with his son. For a time he was facing child endangerment charges.

Pilgrim

 

[carpettbaggerr]

He also told her that if he saw a police officer, he would shoot them immediately.

Actually, she said he told her he would shoot any police on sight.

Though I'm sure she'd always tell the truth -- she's got to be a paragon of virtue, having been married to such a fine upstanding citizen.

 

[Byron Quick]

Sure glad I don't live there. When the authorities were shown the photo of the small five year old girl burning through a full magazine of the selective fire Uzi with a grin on her face that threatened decapitation...I'd have probably been headed for death row.

Please note: the child was wearing eye and ear protection...I was kneeling beside her with one hand helping her support the weight of the Uzi and the other hand about an inch from the weapon...ready to grab if she showed signs of control difficulty or other problems. She had no problems. She just wanted another magazine.

 

[tommytrauma]

So now just LOADING a gun is illegal?

What law did this guy break that would allow the police to show up?

It would appear to me that they were responding to the complaint called in by the ex. Waterford is also a pretty small berg. There's an excellent chance that the responding officers were aware that the person in question was a convicted felon. When the police receive a phone call reporting that the caller's ex-husband was teaching a 4 year old to load a shotgun in preperation for leaving the state, and oh by the way, he's a convicted felon who is stating he's gonna kill any cop he sees, I think they probably have justification to swing by and see what's up.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Hell hath no fury...

 

[MudPuppy]

Erik Foreman (whiney): But Dad, bad things just have a way of happening to me.
Red Foreman: Son...that's because you're a dumb@$$.

 

[Berek]

So now just LOADING a gun is illegal?

What law did this guy break that would allow the police to show up?

No, but many states, if not all, consider teaching a 4 year-old to load one is child endangerment.

As for why they showed, it sounds like his ex told the cops he was Scarface or something.

 

[cracked butt]

There is nothing sensational about a headline that reads "lifelong loser gets picked up by police for drugs and illegal guns." Making a headline about an allegation from his ex-wife is far sexier for the journalist even if its inconsequencial to the case.

 

[carebear]

Did I miss where they seized an actual shotgun?

 

[carpettbaggerr]

Yeah, I'd guess the reporter left some stuff out, otherwise you've got to think about the poison tree.

Is a tip from a vindictive ex enough for a "protective sweep", with no warrant? He initially refused to come out, but, without arrest or search warrants, why should he?

If he was on probation, though, that's an entirely different matter. And in a small town, the cops know all the bad apples.....