Santos, 43, was arrested on Friday afternoon by the Department of Public Safety on charges of manufacture, sale, or possession of firearms and dangerous devices; failure to present identification cards; identification card prerequisite to purchase, possession and use; and prima facie evidence of possession.
“The [department’s] Joint Drug Enforcement Task Force and members of the Criminal Investigation Bureau carried out the arrest warrant to the Office of the Public Auditor…[where] Mr. Santos was arrested in violation of the Weapons Control Act,” according to DPS spokesman PO2 Eric David.
Associate Judge David A. Wiseman required Santos to post $150, or 10 percent of the $1,500 bail earlier imposed by Associate Judge Kenneth L. Govendo who ordered Santos’ arrest.
Wiseman prohibited Santos, a former police officer, from obtaining a new passport, on top of other terms and conditions of release imposed by the court.
Attorney Joseph Camacho stood as counsel for Santos during his initial appearance on Friday.
Assistant Attorney General Brian Gallagher represented the government.
According to Detective Roque Camacho, former Bureau of Motor Vehicles/Office of Records and Firearms employee Miriam Lisua reviewed on Nov. 13, 2009 a list of sale of ammunition submitted by Joeten Enterprises.
Lisua came across the name of Santos who, according to the list, purchased two boxes of .22 caliber long rifle ammunition using a badge number, instead of a firearms identification card, Detective Camacho said.
The list indicated that Santos made the purchase on Oct. 26, 2009.
Detective Camacho said upon reviewing the records at the Office of Firearms and Records, William Hocog, another employee, found out that Santos never possessed any firearms identification card, nor does he possess any permit to purchase any firearms or ammunition.
Hocog then called Joeten Enterprises and learned from employee Debra Guerrero, who sold the two boxes of ammunition to Santos, that the defendant did in fact use a police ID when he purchased the .22 caliber ammunition.
When asked why she authorized the purchase, Guerrero claimed they had done it before.
“Guerrero later apologized for it and assured that it will never happen again,” Detective Camacho said.
Santos resigned from DPS on May 10, 2008 and became an investigator of the Attorney General’s Office.
“In his entire career in law enforcement, there have been no records to indicate that Santos ever owned a firearms identification card,” Detective Camacho said.
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