LA Times – by Veronica Rocha and Matt Hamilton
A Kern County sheriff’s deputy arrested this weekend for allegedly aiming a handgun at children was arrested again Tuesday evening and then managed to escape, prompting a manhunt in Bakersfield, authorities said.
Days after Edward Tucker, a deputy for more than 18 years, was arrested and then released after allegedly flashing a handgun at a group of girls, a person asked for a welfare check on him, said Kern County sheriff’s office spokesman Ray Pruitt said.
They found Tucker in a park in Bakersfield.
There, deputies uncovered drugs, firearms, and possible bomb-making materials, so they arrested him, Pruitt said. Tucker was handcuffed and placed in the back of a cruiser, but managed to free himself at around 9:45 p.m.
He fled on foot from an underground parking garage at the county jail’s receiving facility in the 1400 block of Truxtun Avenue, Pruitt said.
“Somehow, Tucker was able to escape from the rear seat,” Pruitt said. “There’s some indication he may have been able to slip his handcuffs.”
Now the search is on for Tucker, whose behavior recently has been bizarre, authorities said. Tucker had been on approved leave from the sheriff’s office since October 2014. Pruitt said he could not disclose details about the leave, citing personnel issues.
Authorities said that on Saturday Tucker approached a group of girls and briefly spoke with them in front of a home in the 3100 block of Belle Terrace in southwest Bakersfield. At some point during the encounter, Tucker reportedly flashed a firearm at them, sheriff’s officials said. The girls ran home and told several adults about it and authorities were called.
Tucker then approached a group of men in front of another home and also talked to them.
As deputies arrived at the neighborhood, they saw Tucker run to and get into his vehicle. They order him to raise his hands and get out.
Inside, deputies found five handguns, one of which was loaded with inoperable training ammunition, two shotguns and an assault rifle, sheriff’s officials said. Deputies also found a small amount of what appeared to be methamphetamine. The weapons were Tucker’s personal firearms.
A drug evaluation showed signs that Tucker was under the influence of a controlled substance, Pruitt said.
Deputies arrested him on suspicion of brandishing a firearm, being under the influence of a controlled substance while in possessing a firearm, possessing a controlled substance, driving under the influence, and felony willful cruelty to a child, authorities said.
It is unclear what sparked Tucker to show his weapon to the girls since Tucker did not appear to know them, Pruitt said.
Tucker is described as white with brown eyes and closely cropped black hair. He was wearing black shorts, a black buttoned-up shirt and sandals when last seen. He is 5 feet 7 and weighs about 170 pounds, Pruitt said.
Twitter: @VeronicaRochaLA @MattHJourno
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-kern-county-sheriffs-deputy-escape-20151028-story.html
Will you look at this guy’s mug? He has “lunatic” written all over his face, and I’d be surprised if Hollywood didn’t ask him to star in a serial killer movie.
Why is he flashing his gun at little girls? He probably would have raped one or two of them if they didn’t run off.
When police departments try their hardest to hire psychopaths, they must go over the line once in a while and sign up recruits that are a bit crazier than they wanted, and this looks like a prime example of that.
How did he escape? One of his cop buddies let him go.
He has a DIY meth lab at his place. That explains the psychotic look. I took a few black beautys [speed hits] in 1975, and has access to around 500 pills more. For 3 days I was so crazy that I quickly figured out that speed was not for me. I never did “borrow” the other 500 speed hits.
So I just stayed stoned 24/7 from reefer till 1979, when I gave it all up, the day after an imaginary SWAT team [from another city of course] surrounded my apartment complex to “get” me in Costa Mesa one Sunday night. I recall smuggling my ounce of gangster pot up to my apartment [over 400 apartments in this place], in a Sunday LA Times, after parking my barely running VW a block away, so “they” [the battalion of imaginary SWAT members] would not see me. That next morning was when I figured out it was time to quit getting drunk and high.
Getting away from a SWAT team is hard, but getting away from a SWAT team that is not quite real, is a real bitch. I personally do not recommend this to anyone. In the 36 years without a drink or drug since 1979, I have not had to avoid one single imaginary SWAT team. Much more convenient!
Good for you..Cman…cause addiction is a hell of a thing. I had back surgery and had to kick oxycontin. I have six screws and two titanium plates in my lower back.
The only way thank God to kick their drugs was smoking weed.
Yes… natures healer.
Peace brother….
It takes a strong mind to take it, or not take it.
That [delusional] “SWAT team,” after only drinking a 6 pack of Heineken and about an ounce of killer pot that day [typical] was the last straw for me. That made quitting easy.
I was on the road to insanity, like so many get to. Not me.
I am real damn lucky I got 36 years. Most of us never get that – they die young, go crazy, or lead incredibly miserable lives.
Hey ConfederateMan, I knew a guy for years that, literally, could not cope with life without smoking pot. When he ran out, it wasn’t good for his mental health. However, he was an exception to the norm.
You must have one of those weak minds, I’ve never seen marijuana or beer, or the combination thereof, cause anyone to noid out. Maybe meth or crack cocaine, but pot? Horseshit.
1979, back when I had narry a worry and, of course, totally engulfed in the Matrix, actually believing I was a free man, when all I was could be described as a F’N slave. I gave up my desire to excel at my profession once the realization hit that it’s not how many people you made a difference for, it’s not how effective or safe a current, trendy treatment regime is, other than “how much money can we extract out of this guy’s wallet and insurance company.”
there are so many twists and turns to how these people operate. what appears as one thing could be the opposite or a mixture of two or more things going on or what i like to call, a two for one deal. take for instance a car accident involving…never mind. once you know, you cant un know.
Eeew…… that waskily wabbit….. it’s wabbit….season….
No , duck.. season.. wabbit season!
That photo says it all.
Pig poster boy.