Some of the firearms seized from the Ramona man’s home. Photo credit: Courtesy, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department
A Ramona man sat behind bars Tuesday for allegedly stealing valuables, including guns, during three recent burglaries at an East County self-storage facility.
Deputies and members of a SWAT team served a warrant at the home of Troy Tatum Eberhart, 37, then took him into custody Monday afternoon, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
Eberhart is believed to have broken into and looted several rental garages over the previous 10 days at a public storage center in the 9600 block of Winter Gardens Boulevard in Lakeside, Lt. Shawn Wray said.
While searching the suspect’s house in the 1800 block of El Cajon Lane, personnel allegedly seized a cache of 46 firearms – including a rifle converted to operate as a machine gun – along with brass knuckles, illegal batons and a firearm silencer. Some of the recovered firearms had also previously been reported as stolen.
They also confiscated more than 45 grams of methamphetamine, Wray said.
Authorities booked Eberhart into county jail in Vista on suspicion of 14 criminal charges, including burglary, auto theft, unlawful possession of a controlled substance and numerous weapons violations. Among them are illegally carrying a loaded firearm in public and being a felon in possession of a gun.
He was being held on $322,000 bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Wednesday.
– City News Service