David Laux, 49, of Citrus Heights, California was arrested on Wednesday by detectives with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department after they served a search warrant. The warrant was because they suspected him of dealing drugs. According to crime reports, he was charged with possession of a controlled substance for sale and transporting/selling a controlled substance.
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| SCSD Photo |
Looking at the picture you see a somewhat overweight, middle-aged white guy who needs a shave and who probably got the scrape on his cheek from when he was arrested. You are probably thinking a meth dealer and shades of the TV show Breaking Bad. Ah, but that is before the media and Sgt. Jason Ramos of the Sacramento County SD got a hold of Laux.
From the SCSD’s media release:
Cache of Weapons Seized from Home
A local man was arrested earlier today when an assortment of firearms and ammunition was discovered inside his residence. David Laux, 49, was taken into custody and booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail for multiple weapons-related charges. He is being held on $110,000 bail.
At approximately 9:00 a.m. today, detectives from the Sheriff’s IMPACT Division went to a home in the 8300 block of Fair Way in Citrus Heights to serve a search warrant. The suspect, Laux, was observed driving away from the residence, and was detained without incident, pursuant to service of the warrant. Inside the home, detectives recovered a total of thirteen firearms, including several assault rifles, and over 20,000 rounds of ammunition.
Information and intelligence suggests that Laux is affiliated with an extremist organization that subscribes to an ideology consistent with white supremacist beliefs. Detectives believe there is a likelihood that the weapons may have been supplied to other members of this group, or possibly being sold for profit.
The IMPACT Division, whose primary mission is to combat youth and gang-related violence throughout the Sacramento region and its outlying areas, is composed of personnel from multiple local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. They include the Sheriff’s Department, Rancho Cordova Police Department, Citrus Heights Police Department, Elk Grove Police Department, Galt Police Department, California Highway Patrol, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (Special Services Unit), Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, and Immigrations & Customs Enforcement.
Sergeant Jason Ramos,
Sheriff’s Spokesman
I guess we will have to wait for the release from Mark Potok and the Southern Poverty Law Center before we find out just what “extremist organization that subscribes to an ideology consistent with white supremacist beliefs” Laux was affiliated with. Is it the KKK, the Aryan Nation, the Democrat Party? No one is saying just who or what.
As to the “weapons cache”, you can see the 13 firearms and ammo as displayed by Sheriff’s Department in this photo by Fox40.
I see two shotguns, an AR-15, an HK-91 (or PTR-91), a lever-action rifle, a 37mm flare gun, 2 pistols, 3 revolvers, and 2 derringers in the picture plus an assortment of magazines and ammo cans. Media reports are calling this “a weapons cache” and “an arsenal”. There is no way of telling from the picture whether or not the AR and the HK-91 have bullet buttons to bring them into compliance with California law. Two semi-auto rifles do not constitute “several assault rifles” in my opinion. God knows what they would be saying if they came by many of our homes.
From CBS Sacramento:
A suspected white supremacist was allegedly stockpiling guns, military style weapons and thousands of rounds of ammo.
Investigators who uncovered the collection believed they were dealing with a drug dealer at first.
That arsenal of weapons included assault rifles, a grenade launcher and 20,000 rounds of ammo. All were allegedly stashed inside the home with his elderly mother living inside.
“I was completely shocked, and especially with what they found there,” said a neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous.
Through a search warrant for his Citrus Heights home, Sacramento County Sheriff’s Regional Gang Task Force first got a tip that David Laux worked as a drug dealer.
“He was just a pretty quiet guy,” the neighbor said.
His neighbors had no idea. Many who found out who they were living next to were too afraid to show their face on camera.
“I feel pretty shocked and a little bit scared considering I have four kids that live in this house, and they were in front of that house all day long on their bikes,” said the neighbor.
Of course the neighbors are shocked. But I’d be more upset that the guy was dealing drugs than that he had a few firearms.
KXTL Fox 40 has this report including a comment from Sgt. Jason Ramos on the arrest.
Much too much for personal use? Is Sgt. Ramos speaking of the amount of ammunition or the number of firearms? Either way I would disagree.
This case seems to me the making the arrest of a small time drug dealer into a big thing merely for publicity purposes. The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department gets to throw around buzzwords like “assault rifle”, “extremist”, “white supremacist”, and never has to name what, if any, organization that Laux is in cahoots with. The media just laps it up because it fits their own preconceived notions. The Sheriff’s Department will be lauded for taking down this dangerous racist extremist before he could rain death and destruction on those kids riding their bikes in the street with his “grenade launcher” and “assault rifles” and the media gets their story. It’s a win-win for them and a loss for the truth of the matter.
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