Petaluma Police Find Hidden Rafter Room Packed With Weapons

PETALUMA, CA — Police climbed into the rafters of a Petaluma home last week and uncovered a concealed room packed with rifles, narcotics, and ammunition — a discovery that led to the arrest of a man already barred from possessing weapons.

Members of the Petaluma Police Department’s Community Impact Response Team contacted a 47-year-old man outside his home around 9:10 a.m. on Wednesday, according to police.

Officers searched the property and located a hidden compartment built into the rafters. Inside the concealed space, police found suspected methamphetamine, fentanyl, drug paraphernalia, ammunition, firearm parts, and six rifles, Petaluma police said in a statement on social media.

Police said the man was on active felony pretrial release and is legally prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. Police also said he has prior weapons and drug-related convictions.

Officers arrested him on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition by a prohibited person, violation of probation, and multiple drug-related offenses including possession of methamphetamine, narcotics, and drug paraphernalia.

Petaluma police said the case reflects the department’s ongoing enforcement efforts aimed at removing illegal firearms and dangerous narcotics from neighborhoods and holding people accountable who threaten public safety.