Nine Arrested in Grand Terrace Probation Sweep

Nine were arrested in Grand Terrace after San Bernardino County probation officers performed a probation sweep in the city Tuesday, Jan. 21. Drugs, paraphernalia and weapons were also confiscated.The arrests were for new law violations, probation violations, or for active bench warrants, according to a release issued by the probation department. County probation officers and County sheriff's officials made 28 home visits in Grand Terrace through Tuesday afternoon and night, meeting with 18 offenders who were being supervised, explained Chris Condon, County Probation Department spokesperson. Two rifles, several knives or edged weapons and a bow and arrow were seized, as well as a small amount of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and stolen ID cards, according to Condon. One woman, Jessica Bruton, 25, was taken into custody for violating probation. Bruton attempted to evade officers from her home on the 22000 block of Raven Way, but was captured. Initially probation officers targeted 44 offenders living in the city, Condon explained, but that number whittled down to 27 after some were deemed not in need of contact. The sweep comes just a few short months after Grand Terrace's proposed Measure C, a five percent user utility tax, failed to pass on the November 2013 ballot. There was talk that if the measure did not pass, Grand Terrace, who contracts law enforcement services through the County of San Bernardino, would lose a deputy. "When we do these multi-agency, large sweeps city-to-city, there are some small communities and we want to make sure they aren't left out," Condon said by phone Wednesday afternoon. "We are directing our resources and field supervision everywhere. We arrested half of the people we met with, and for those who are doing what they are supposed to be doing, it sends a message that they are being watched," said Condon. "If they do need resources to keep them from re-offending, we want to let them know we do have those resources." Chief Probation Officer Michelle Scray Brown stated, “[The] Grand Terrace operation is an example of our desire to support cities that have had to contend with the impact of AB 109. Irrespective of the size of the community, our officers will conduct compliance sweeps to provide public safety services.This operation predominately targeted probationers. In addition to AB 109 offenders, we still provide supervision of adult and juvenile probationers and offer a wide range of rehabilitative services that prevent re-offense.” Passed in April 2011, AB 109 establishes the California Public Safety Realignment Act of 2011 which allows for current non-violent, non-serious, and non-sex offenders, who after they are released from California State prison, are to be supervised at the local County level. Instead of reporting to state parole officers, these offenders are to report to local county probation officers. Of the nine individuals arrested in Grand Terrace Tuesday, two were not on probation.