(Woodland, CA) – November 30, 2018 – On November 29, 2018, the Honorable David Rosenberg found 30-year-old Woodland man Brandon Vidales guilty of eleven felonies including Selling, Manufacturing or Converting Firearm into a Machine Gun, Possession for Sale of Methamphetamine, four counts of Felon in Possession of a Firearm, three counts of Importation of a Large Capacity Magazines, Possession of Controlled Substance while Armed with a Loaded Firearm, Carrying a Loaded Firearm in a Public Place or a Vehicle after a Prior Conviction, and enhancements for Criminal Street Gang Activity.
On June 25, 2015, Woodland Police Department and the Yolo County Gang Task Force were working on a coordinated operation and stopped Vidales on his way to work. During a search of his Chevy Tahoe, officers found a .357 Smith and Wesson loaded revolver and 21 grams of methamphetamine in the center console of his truck. Two search warrants were executed on Vidales’ and his parents’ home, which revealed multiple guns and extended magazines. The guns included a fully automatic short-barrel riffle with a “lightening link,” a device which when inserted into a firearm allows it to be fired in a fully-automatic capacity, a 40 caliber Glock with a 29 bullet extended magazine, a 45 caliber pistol. Also found were a 100 round AR-15 drum, a 20 round 9 mm magazine, 250 green tip 5.56 armor piercing rounds. There was also extensive evidence that Vidales was heavily involved in gang activity. Evidence from his cell phone and social media accounts showed that he was offering to sell guns and drugs to his fellow gang members.
District Attorney Jeff Reisig stated, “In this case, the work of the coordinated efforts of the Woodland Police Department and the Yolo County Gang Task Force were able to find and stop Mr. Vidales from selling and distributing guns and drugs to his fellow gang members. They have made this community a safer place to live and work in.”
Vidales remains in county jail pending sentencing, which is scheduled for December 28, 2018, in front of Judge Rosenberg. Based on Vidales’ convictions and prior criminal history, Judge Rosenberg could sentence him to as high as high as 35 years and 4 months in state prison.
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