Man sat for six hours in S.J. jail booking area with loaded gun
FRENCH CAMP — An arrestee sat in the booking area of the San Joaquin County Jail for six hours last week before personnel discovered a loaded gun in his coat pocket.
Eighteen-year-old Rolontae Ivory, initially arrested last Thursday on suspicion of carrying a live grenade while in the 3100 block of Country Club Boulevard in west Stockton, was in the process of being booked into jail on a number of charges when the discovery was made.
The gun loaded with six bullets was found after he had been searched at least twice by sworn personnel, according to a jail employee who spoke on condition of anonymity out of concern for personal safety.
A statement last week from the Sheriff’s Office regarding Thursday’s grenade arrest noted that Ivory was on searchable probation and was asked if he had anything in his possession that was illegal or that could hurt the deputy, to which he replied no. When the deputy searched Ivory in the field, he allegedly found a live improvised grenade, two pipes and 5.8 ounces of marijuana.
The jail employee said it is standard procedure to search prisoners again when they arrive at the jail for booking. Apparently, the gun was not found at that time. Ivory waited approximately six hours before being transferred to a cell, and that is when the discovery was made.
The jail employee said several other employees witnessed the discovery and it is another example of lax safety standards.
“There is a responsibility to find this crap,” the employee said. “We have nothing to protect ourselves in this facility.”
Deputy Dave Konecny, the spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office, said Tuesday that he could not discuss any aspect of the incident because it is a personnel matter and subject to an internal affairs investigation.
Ivory’s arrest on suspicion of the grenade charge was publicized by the Sheriff ’s Office. Deputies were dispatched to the area on the report of a suspicious-looking man and found Ivory about 11:30 a.m. Thursday on Country Club between Idaho Avenue and Edgewater Court.
After the live grenade was found, deputies closed down Country Club for the next three hours while bomb technicians worked to render the device safe.
Ivory was arrested at that time on suspicion of possession of a destructive device on a highway, possession of two pipes and possession of marijuana for sales, according to the Sheriff ’s Office.
After he was allegedly found with the gun inside the booking area, he was charged with suspicion of possession of a firearm in a jail and other weapon charges. He is also facing previous charges of suspicion of felony burglary, misdemeanor resisting arrest and receiving stolen property valued at $400 or less following his arrest Dec. 10 by Stockton police.
Ivory continues to be held in the County Jail without bail and is scheduled for his next court appearance at 8:30 a.m. Friday in Superior Court in Stockton.