SWAT team conducts drug related search warrants in Prunedale

UPDATE 7/20/2017 4:15 p.m.:

An elderly man is facing drug and gun charges, after he was arrested during SWAT operations on Thursday.

Arthur Gene Stillwell, 75, of Prunedale, is facing three felonies, including possessing a controlled substance for sales and a felon in possession of a firearm.

Authorities say he was in one of the two homes involved in a drug-related search warrant on Thursday. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team was deployed to two homes on San Miguel Canyon Road, one on the 2100 block, the other on the 2200 block.

“The investigators were looking for narcotics, evidence of narcotics sales and items like that,” said Cmdr. Mark Caldwell.

In total, authorities found more than four ounces of methamphetamine, a .22 rifle, high capacity AR magazines and a grenade fuse. Stillwell, who is a felon, was taken into custody from one of those homes.

A nearby neighbor saw the huge law enforcement presence and spoke to authorities about the situation. He said the area near his house doesn’t typically see any trouble, but if there it, it is cleared up right away.

“We have good neighbors around here,” he said. “But there’s another place that I’m not too acquainted with that there seems to be a lot of police activity there, so, I really don’t know what’s happening there.”

A nearby church has been broken into before, which is causing the neighbor to think about upping security measures like surveillance cameras and locked gates.

ORIGINAL POST:

The Monterey County Sheriff’s SWAT team served at least two narcotics related search warrants in Prunedale Thursday morning.

The SWAT activity took place at two homes off of San Miguel Canyon Road.

We are waiting to hear back from the sheriff’s office for more information.

KION’s Mariana Hicks is on scene and will have the details at 5 p.m.