RIVERSIDE (CNS) – A Riverside man who illegally possessed more than a dozen handguns that he intended to sell privately was sentenced Friday to a year of mandatory supervision and ordered not to own any firearms.
In August, Jermaine Anthony Augustine Hernandez, 25, admitted one count of attempted sale of a firearm to a prohibited person and one count of bypassing a licensed firearm dealer in procuring a firearm.
Hernandez had been slated for sentencing Monday, but he could not be located, and Riverside County Superior Court Judge Gail O’Rane issued a bench warrant for his arrest. He surfaced a day later, and the warrant was recalled.
O’Rane certified the terms of the plea agreement with the District Attorney’s Office and imposed the sentence stipulated by both the prosecution and defense. Mandatory supervision was imposed in lieu of jail. It is considered a stricter form of probation. Hernandez is not permitted to go more than 50 miles from his residence without first gaining permission from his probation officer.
Hernandez’s co-defendant, 42-year-old Timothy Matthew Carroll of Riverside, is slated to stand trial for allegedly being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and illegal possession of ammunition. He’s free on $10,000 bail and due in court for a status hearing Tuesday.
According to the Riverside Police Department, last October, Hernandez and Carroll came under investigation after detectives received tips that Hernandez was acquiring handguns in Arizona, bringing them to California and altering the serial numbers to conceal the fact the guns were procured illegally.
He then attempted to sell them from an apartment shared with Carroll in the 1800 block of Loma Vista Street, Officer Ryan Railsback said.
Sufficient evidence was gathered to obtain a search warrant, which was served at the location on Oct. 18.
Railsback said 17 pistols of various calibers, along with 30 large capacity magazines, were seized from the apartment, in addition to an undisclosed quantity of ammunition.
Hernandez’s two children, ages 1 and 3, respectively, were at the residence, the police spokesman said.
According to court records, Carroll has prior convictions for receiving stolen property, child abuse and driving on a suspended license.
Hernandez had no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.
