An armed 35-year-old man with a felony conviction suspected of stealing a dirt bike in an unincorporated area bordering Blythe was taken into custody Monday.
Deputies from the Colorado River Sheriff’s Station, assisted by Blythe Police Department officers, responded to the 9600 block of North Broadway to serve a search warrant, where they located Rene Francisco Tapia of Blythe, hiding in a shed at the property, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.
Tapia was eventually taken into custody after authorities established a perimeter around the shed and gave multiple commands for him to exit.
Sheriff’s officials said deputies recovered three firearms and approximately 82 grams of a methamphetamine-like substance, and as a convicted felon he is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
Tapia was booked into the Blythe Jail for the felony warrant, along with suspicion of drug possession and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Authorities have also recovered the stolen dirt bike and are continuing their investigation.
Anyone with information regarding the stolen property was urged to call the Colorado River Sheriff’s Station at 760-921-7900.