Pair Arrested In Aptos Had Assault Rifle, Ammunition, Drugs

APTOS - Two people arrested Sunday in Aptos were found in a van where they allegedly kept a firearm, ammunition, drugs and other items, a Santa Cruz County sheriff's spokesman said.

Ian Macfarland, 32, and Cristina Nikolaou, 28, were arrested after deputies found them in a van near Willowbrook Park, where people reported the pair was sleeping in the vehicle for past few days, sheriff's Sgt. Roy Morales said.

The deputies contacted the pair around 6 p.m. Sunday, when they saw items inside the vehicle that indicated drug use, Morales said.

A search of the van uncovered a black rifle case with a loaded semi-automatic assault rifle with a 30-round magazine, the spokesman said.

Deputies also recovered other property including two more rifle magazines, a camouflage flak jacket, professional locksmith kit and heroin, according to Morales.

The couple was towing another car, where deputies found an antique handgun and a substantial amount of ammunition, including 13 loaded 30-round magazines, Morales said.

The suspects were both arrested for allegedly possessing narcotics and taken to Santa Cruz County Jail, the spokesman said.

Macfarland was also arrested on suspicion of multiple weapons violations, Morales said.

-Bay City News Service