Elderly Convict Allegedly Found with Drugs, Firearm During Traffic Stop

A traffic stop in Watsonville near the city border Thursday led to the arrest of a convict allegedly found with drugs, a firearm and thousands of dollars in cash, police said Friday.

Juan Paulo Alcala, 72, of Watsonville, was arrested on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance for sale, transporting a controlled substance and possessing a controlled substance while armed, police Sgt. Michael Ridgway said.

An officer on his first solo shift stopped an elderly man who was driving while talking on a cellphone at Riverside Drive and Blackburn Street around 5 p.m., Ridgway said.

The driver, later identified as Alcala, was found without a license and with multiple prior convictions, Ridgeway said.

The officers searched the vehicle and found a pill bottle with 19 bindles of methamphetamine, according to Ridgway.
The search also uncovered a loaded semi-automatic pistol and $8,000 in cash, the sergeant said.

Alcala was taken into custody and booked into Santa Cruz County Jail, Ridgway said.

The 72-year-old was also cited for using a cellphone while behind the wheel and operating a car with no driver’s license, according to Ridgway.

--Bay City News Service, photo via Shutterstock