Convicted Felon Arrested After Sheriff’s Sergeant Locates Discarded Weapon and Controlled Substances
KELSEYVILLE, CA — A traffic stop involving a bicyclist led to the arrest of a convicted felon and the seizure of a loaded handgun along with suspected illegal drugs in Kelseyville on Oct. 8, 2026.
A Lake County Sheriff’s Office sergeant on routine patrol observed an adult male committing multiple vehicle code violations on a bicycle along Main Street. Upon noticing the patrol vehicle, the bicyclist altered his direction of travel and rode through an adjacent property.
The sergeant observed the suspect holding a red item while crossing the property, which was no longer visible when the bicyclist emerged back onto Main Street. While an assisting detective detained the rider—identified as 43-year-old Johnny Ariz-Mendez of Clearlake—the sergeant searched the route Ariz-Mendez had taken.
In a planter near a local church entrance, the sergeant discovered a discarded red satchel containing a loaded Glock 19 9mm handgun equipped with an extended magazine, alongside drug paraphernalia and suspected methamphetamine and fentanyl.
A background check confirmed Ariz-Mendez is a multi-convicted felon with prior convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Ariz-Mendez was taken into custody and booked into the Hill Road Correctional Facility on weapons and narcotics offenses. The seized substances were submitted to the California Department of Justice laboratory for chemical analysis.
