Three men were arrested early Sunday morning when Sonoma County Sheriff's investigators fended off pit bulls to search a Santa Rosa home where a man was allegedly selling drugs and guns, Sgt. Mike Raasch said Monday.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for the home of Edward Alexis Martinez, 28, after getting a tip that he was selling narcotics and weapons there, Raasch said, adding that Martinez is a gang associate.
Martinez has arrests and convictions going back to at least 2003, Raasch said. That includes a 2007 conviction for assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm and a 2003 drug-related conviction.
He was arrested by gang officers in November for having methamphetamine for sale and drug-related equipment, Raasch said. He was out on bail but missed a Jan. 27 court date, prompting the District Attorney's office to seek a warrant for his arrest, Raasch said.
At 6:20 a.m. Sunday, property crimes detectives served a search warrant at Martinez's home on Leddy Avenue. Based on the man's criminal history, gang ties, and weapons, detectives asked for the Sheriff's SWAT Team to actually serve the warrant, Raasch said.
In doing so, the team had to contend with three aggressive pit bulls who were eventually contained by Sonoma County Animal Control, Raasch said.
Detectives detained eight people they found inside the house. They found methamphetamine on Martinez. They also found an AK-47 assault rifle in the home and linked it to Martinez, Raasch said. They arrested him for being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of an assault weapon.
Felix John Miller Jr., 25, of Santa Rosa, would not follow commands to come out of the house and was arrested for delaying/resisting officers, Raasch said. Nicholas Brian Hoffman, 25, of Healdsburg, was arrested for two felony no bail arrest warrants.
Edward Martinez' bail was set at $200,000, Felix Miller Jr. bail was set at $2,500 and Nicholas Hoffman was held without bail because of his warrants.
As the detectives were leaving, two separate residents thanked them for being in the area and cleaning up the house, saying that there were people coming in and out of the residence at all hours, Raasch said.
You can reach Staff Writer Jamie Hansen at 521-5205 or jamie.hansen@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter at @JamieHansen.
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