CLEARLAKE, Calif. – On Thursday a Clearlake Police officer arrested a city resident who was found with a concealed weapon in his vehicle during a traffic stop.
Jason Robert Compton, 30, was taken into custody on Thursday morning, according to Sgt. Rodd Joseph.
Just before 11:15 a.m. Thursday Clearlake Police Officer Mauricio Barreto conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle on 21st Avenue near the intersection with Phillips Avenue, Joseph said. The four-door sedan was displaying false evidence of registration on the rear license plate and had illegally tinted windows.
The driver, who was the only occupant of the vehicle and identified as Compton, was arrested for a misdemeanor violation of displaying false vehicle registration, Joseph said.
During an inventory search of the vehicle before it was towed, Officer Barreto located a 9-millimeter handgun under the driver’s seat. Joseph said the weapon’s serial number had been removed.
Though Compton denied ownership or possession of the illegal firearm, Barreto had witnessed Compton making furtive type movements around the driver’s seat as the vehicle was coming to a stop, Joseph said.
Joseph said Compton was arrested and charged with one misdemeanor count of displaying false registration and two felony counts of possession of a concealed firearm in a vehicle and possession of a firearm with altered or removed serial number. He was later booked into the Lake County Jail.
A second subject, contacted in conjunction with this investigation near the intersection of 21st and Irving avenues, and identified as 40-year-old Jose Serapio Murrillo of Clearlake, was found to be under the influence of a controlled substance and arrested, Joseph said. Murrillo was additionally charged with a felony probation violation. He too was booked into the Lake County Jail.
The Clearlake Police Department is committed to removing illegal firearms and weapons from those who may not possess them, Joseph said.
Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact Officer Barreto at 707-994-8251, Extension 507, or via his email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..