Pima County Sheriff releases Guerena search warrant
Arrow sends us a link to Fox11AZ’s report that Pima County Sheriff Department finally released the search warrant which was the impetus for the SWAT club’s raid on the home of Jose Guerena’s home ultimately resulting in the former Marine’s death.
But a few lines are redacted in the hundreds of pages of search warrant documents released Thursday, giving a much clearer picture of what led authorities to Guerena’s home.
The controversy over the deadly SWAT raid on 7180 South Redwater began in the days after Jose Guerena was killed while holding an assault rifle with the safety on.
Of course, we, the public, only get to hear about whatever the media wants to release. The justification of the raid seems to revolve around the big plastic sheeting rolls, which apparently ended up on his mother’s furniture;
At a yearly salary of $41,000, Guerena owned a $105,000 home and six vehicles worth another $150,000. Other suspects in the investigation were seen at times driving Guerena’s vehicles.
In 2009 Guerena was present in a home where two marijuana dealers were busted and was reportedly uncooperative.
That year he was also arrested in Pinal County on drug and weapons charges, though the charges were later dropped.
Still nothing significant justifying Guerena’s death.
ADDED: YatYas dropped off a link to a .pdf of the search warrant in another thread.
Category: The Guerena Killing
“At a yearly salary of $41,000, Guerena owned a $105,000 home and six vehicles worth another $150,000.”
Its called being deployed twice for over a year. I bet it wasn’t all paid for.
I’m sure a majority of Sheriff Dipshits deputies all own homes of equal or higher value on their $42,099 – 59,238 a year salaries, some of them might even have more than one car worth $25,000 – 70,000 too. They probably own “sophisticated military equipment” and have “high powered firearms” and, oh yah, are probably all as corrupt as their Sheriff.
Maybe they should be raided by a forceful entry team… from the FBI.
I’m not very good at math, but I only count three vehicles on the search warrant owned by Jose. One is six years old, one is four years old and the newest is a 2010. I wasn’t aware there are homes in the US that cost less than $105k.
Thank goodness I don’t live in Pima county. I own a Gore Tex jacket from my Army days, own at least one high power rifle which is the civilian equivalent of the current .30 caliber sniper rifle, have a house which according to the county tax assessor is worth more then $100k. I guess the good news is I only own one vehicle although I do borrow from relatives once in a while. But then again I did serve 20+ years in the Infantry so of course you know that puts me in completely different category of unhinged, PTSD afflicted, brain washed, baby killing homicidal maniac.
Hey my daughter has fun with it when dates get a little too frisky. She reminds them I am retired Army and know 36 different ways to kill them using just my thumbs. Honestly I only know about 14, maybe 15 ways top.
We are watching a dance called CYA. It’s the sort of dance that is usually carefully orchestrated. This is but a version of that dance.
Here’s the kicker… The thing that has bothered me from the start… I could have been ME! YMMV.
If you didn’t DO anything what do you have to hide?
Most mortgages run 30 years. I’m pretty sure you can afford to pay off a house on that salary in 30 years. Never mind the low interest VA home loans.
I bought a 2007 Ford Mustang GT when I got back from a 7 month deployment. Some guys I know bought even more I’m still paying it off, but I’ve not got a ton of income being a student. If I hadn’t totled my Mazda 3 after my first tour, I’d still have that too. So really I’m not seeing anything unusual.
Baggies? What do these baggies look like? “Like the type drug dealers use” tells me nothing, they could be anything from “Dime bags” to plastic bags used to store PB&J.
The “followed by family and had plates run”. . .I’m pretty sure neighborhood watch in AZ is pretty damn good seeing as the Mexican Cartels have pretty much moved in, and set up an almost insurgency.
This smells like a departmental screw up, and a post screw-up CYA
After my dad died (of natural causes) the police that came with the EMTs got VERY interested in the .357 Magnum in his desk drawer. I honestly don’t know what my 84 year old grandfather who probably couldn’t lift it let alone shoot it, or my 76 year old grandma who wouldn’t know HOW to use it, might have done. Since he OBVIOUSLY hadn’t died from a GSW, WHY the gun was so important to the police is beyond me.
so, they got all other information on Jose BUT the fact that he was a Marine and that the house was most likely on a VA mortgage. He was the only one who was actually employed and had a good salary and the one who had just one arrest with no charges. And of all OTHER suspicious individuals, they went into HIS house. And I ALWAYS check any suspicious vehicles in my neighbourhood. This is SO screwed up, the entire sheriff’s office should be fired and new people from the bottom up should be brought in.
So, in line 289-290, the “detective” acknowledges that Jose had a job, earning $41K, yet further down in lines 386-390, no one in the group has a “legitimate work routine, no one ever went to a place of business and stayed for any significant amount of time”, or ever wore a work uniform?
It would seem that “Detective Tisch” did not have his facts straight when he went for the warrant, which makes the rest of the warrant suspect, at the very least.
Doc in #6: “WHY the gun was so important to the police is beyond me.”
They were probably sniffing around to perhaps confiscate it and it would end up in one of their own collections.
Or…..they could be part of a small group of LEOs that feel they are the only people that should have firearms, especially handguns.
After reading through the Search Warrant, my own LE experience would lead me to believe the family was involved in illegal drug activity. Having watched the Swat video it appears the Swat Team needs to work on their tactics and trigger control. Also, anytime there is a fatal Officer-Involved-Shooting another agency should be immediately called in to do the investigation for criminal and civil reasons. This though was in no way a murder.
The military and police have something in common with every other profession; you have the good, the bad and the Joe Schmuckateli’s.
I wasn’t aware there are homes in the US that cost less than $105k.
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You obviously do not live in — or been to — SE Michigan lately. Bought my house in 2003 for $162,500, yet you could probably buy it now after foreclosure for around $62,500, if that. Most of the houses in this area are the same way. Everyone is completely underwater in home values.
Hell, there are homes in the city of Detroit that can be bought for the price of a used car, around $10,000 or so.
Wow that’s the shakiest grounds I’ve ever seen to file a warrant on. In my LE experience(albeit Canuck). The real problem is that they’re using kelly’s blue book to ‘estimate’ vehicle value. When the value of vehicles have fallen through the floor, including wages. Neither of which are positive indicators for drug trafficking.
A vehicle that’s 5 years old could be worth as little as $1100 in the SE US these days(hell you can see 3yr of vehicles that are going for under 4k). I know several smart people who bought a few, simply to resell to the NE at a higher market value. $1100 buyin, resell at $8800 or more. Houses? Hell I know of mortgage default swaps from NE/SE that have gone on.
There’s other issues too, within the warrant. If it had been filed in Canada like that? The judge would have laughed their ass out, and told them to never show their face again.
Enshi, my thoughts on the warrant too. Lots of conjecture, feelings and innuendo, but short on facts. It does confirm my thought that the judge/magistrate never read the whole thing, or, worse yet, just accepted what this “detective” said at face value. Why didn’t he/she pick up on the discrepancy about Jose having a job, yet the “detective” claiming in the body of the warrant that no one worked, etc.?
I would still like to see the return on the warrant on the Corporal’s house, to see what they actually found that is covered by the warrant.
Should have picked up on this right away, that is not the search warrant, it’s the affidavit, seeking a search warrant, or warrants. I’d really like to read what the language on the original warrant says, what they’re authorized to search for, and seize, and the return, to see what they found at each listed location and each vehicle, on any warrants that were issued as a result of the affidavit.
The return of warrant is important, as it would list each item seized at each location.
Good eye, UpNorth! *salute*