Valley Snapshots

Several arrests made upon discovery of altered shotgun

Kenneth C. Curnow

Several Ridgecrest residents will be charged with obstructing a peace officer, receiving stolen goods and modifying a shotgun, as well as for being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to a report issued by the Ridgecrest Police Department on Oct 30.

According to the report, officers responded to a residence in the 400 block of Wilson Street to serve a search warrant on a residence.

“During the search of the residence, a loaded 12-gauge shotgun was located. Several inches of the shotgun barrel had been removed. The altered length of the barrel was 13 1/2 inches. The shotgun was confirmed stolen out of Los Angeles County,” said the report.

Bobby Witherspoon, 23; Nikita Shybanau, 21; and Mary Hitt, 18, were booked for receiving stolen goods and obstructing a peace officer.

Witherspoon’s court case details were not available yet. Bail for both Shybanau and Hitt has been set at $20,000, and both are still in custody.