COARSEGOLD — A Coarsegold man is behind bars after being arrested during the serving of a search warrant in the Indian Lakes area this morning.
At about 8 a.m., the Sheriff’s Office served a search warrant at a residence in the 32000 block of Big Sandy looking for evidence in a burglary at an unrelated residence in Coarsegold.
Daniel Holt, 48, of Coarsegold, was taken into custody and booked on three counts of burglary, two counts of identity theft, one count of grand theft, felon in possession of a firearm, and manufacture of a controlled substance.
Holt is being held on a $50,000 bond. This is his seventh arrest in California since 2006, including charges of drunk and disorderly, vehicle theft, receiving/buying/selling stolen property, felon in possession of a firearm and parole violation.
Residents in the area noted the heavy presence of law enforcement this morning, and Sheriff’s Commander Tyson Pogue explains the use of SWAT for this operation.
“We serve search warrants all the time and most are routine, but with every one, we go through a threat assessment,” says Pogue who notes that most warrants are served by patrol deputies.
“We evaluate such factors as the nature of the crime, the criminal history and background of the suspect including weapons possession or assaults, and other factors such as fortifications of the residence and dogs on the property.”
Pogue says that sometimes, based on those factors, the determination is made to utilize the Madera County Regional SWAT Team, if the risk to a regular patrol deputy is assessed to be too high.
The Team is comprised of personnel from the Madera Sheriff’s Office, and the Madera and Chowchilla Police Departments.
“Each agency dedicates people to that unit. They train together and are a highly skilled team — the ultimate professionals — better able to deal with higher risk operations. It’s safer for the deputies and officers, and also for the public.”
Pogue also notes that this is only the second time in 2016 that the team has been used for an enforcement action.
“You see them more often at community functions interacting with kids and the public,” he says. “Their use for enforcement is quite rare.”
After clearing the house and finding it unoccupied, deputies contacted the suspect by phone and he voluntarily returned to the residence where he was arrested without incident, says Cmdr. Pogue.
Various items related to the case in question were located, says Pogue, and the suspect will also face additional charges based on other violations discovered at the scene.
