STOCKTON-
Police in Stockton arrested a man Monday evening after a loaded gun was found under a child seat in his car.
The child was not in the car when officers searched it.
Officers say they pulled 34-year-old Leper Talaroc for traffic violations near Kelley Drive and Richland Way around 6:30 p.m. Talaroc gave police permission to search his car.
What officers found was the loaded, .22-caliber handgun under the car seat.
Talaroc’s family told FOX40 that the arrest was a mistake and that Leper is a good man.
The gun, identified by a local gun shop owner as a Davis Derringer, only holds two bullets and is an older model with no safety locak, according to the owner of Huston’s Custom Guns. He added that the black tape wrapped around the handle is typically used to prevent fingerprints.
Talaroc was booked into the San Joaquin County Jail on weapons charges. His bail is set at $300,000.
The 34-year-old will be in court Wednesday afternoon.
