Edward Tucker
BAKERSFIELD — A Kern County Sheriff’s deputy is behind bars after allegedly brandishing a weapon at a group of young girls in southwest Bakersfield over the weekend.
Edward Tucker, 44, was booked into the Kern County Jail on charges of brandishing a firearm, being under the influence of a controlled substance while in possession of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance, driving under the influence and felony willful cruelty to a child.
According to the Kern County Sherriff’s Office, the incident occurred on October 24, at around 10 p.m. when deputies responded to a call of a suspect wielding a gun at a group of female juveniles in front of a residence in the 3100 block of Belle Terrace in southwest Bakersfield. “When deputies arrived on scene they observed a male suspect matching the description given by witnesses running and entering a parked vehicle,” said Public Information Officer Ray Pruitt. “Deputies were able to talk the suspect out of the vehicle and he was taken into custody without incident.”
The suspect, later identified as Tucker, a KCSO deputy that was on approved leave since October of 2014, was also under the influence of a controlled substance during the time of his arrest, and was in possession of five handguns, two shotguns and an assault rifle, as well as an amount of suspected methamphetamine all located inside his vehicle.
Witnesses told deputies that Tucker approached a group of female juveniles to the front of the residence and after a brief conversation brandished a firearm at them. “The juveniles ran into the house and told several adults what had happened,” Pruitt said.
Witnesses also said that Tucker then approached a second group of adult men to the front of another home and had a brief conversation with them before running away from the scene. The sheriff’s office would not say why Tucker has been away from work
UPDATE – After being released for this handgun flashing incident, Edward Tucker was arrested again on Tuesday October 27th for various gun and drug violations, but then managed to escape and at the time of this article’s publication is still on the loose.
