Day: August 19, 2022

By Larry Judkins

Glenn County Observer

An Artois man involved in the Thanksgiving, 2017, killing of Javier Gomez Montalvo was arrested on Friday, Aug. 19, on charges alleging animal cruelty and making terrorist threats.

On Thursday, Aug. 18, the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office became aware of a social media post in which Garcia allegedly recorded himself killing and mutilating a live animal. Garcia reportedly made repeated threats to United States military personnel and the President of the United States of America as he was committing the act.

The next day, on Aug. 19, the Glenn Investigations and Narcotics Task Force (GLINTF) and Glenn County probation officers found several dead, mutilated ducks at Garcia’s residence at 3186 Highway 99, Artois. Orland police officers stopped and detained Garcia, 30, on County Road 16 at Interstate 5 in connection to the investigation.

GLINTF agents responded and arrested Garcia for felony animal cruelty and criminal threats. GLINTF transported and booked Garcia into the Glenn County Jail without incident.

The Glenn County Sheriff’s Office plans to forward the case to the Glenn County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.

According to GLINTF’s press release, Garcia was previously booked into the Glenn County Jail on Jan. 30, 2022, for a robbery that occurred at the Mar-Val grocery store in Willows. Garcia was out of jail and on supervision while released on his own recognizance when he allegedly committed the act of animal cruelty.

Although this robbery was the only prior crime for which Garcia has been charged that was mentioned in the GLINTF release, it is not by any stretch the most serious crime for which he has been convicted. Late Thanksgiving night, 2017, Ricardo Garcia and his younger brother, Fernando, now 23 or 24, lured Javier Gomez Montalvo and another man, Luis Mercado, to the Garcia family home at 906 Date Street, Orland, supposedly to buy or sell guns.

There, Montalvo and Mercado were both shot. Mercado was shot in the leg, while Montalvo received fatal injuries.

Ricardo Garcia had himself been shot some months earlier. On July 4, 2017, a woman called 911 to report that her brother had been shot by someone in a gray SUV.

Orland police officers and Glenn County Sheriff’s deputies responded to 906 Date Street, where they found Ricardo Garcia with a single gunshot wound in the left side of his abdomen. The SUV was not found.

Officers soon learned that Garcia was not shot at the Date Street location, but a few blocks away in the street in the 1000 block of Harryman Street near Interstate 5. When his sister heard that her brother had been shot, she picked him up and brought him to the Date Street house.

Police were confident at the time that this was not a random shooting and Garcia was targeted. Early in the morning on the previous day, someone shot several times at the Date Street house, but no one was injured.

Regarding the Montalvo killing, Ricardo Garcia was initially charged by the district attorney with first degree murder, attempted first degree murder, a half-dozen special allegations, and accessory after the fact of murder. All of these charges were dismissed except for the last one, to which Garcia pled guilty.

Garcia was sentenced to three years imprisonment in the Glenn County Jail. With credit for time served, this came to 646 days.

Fernando Garcia was initially charged with murder, premeditated murder, criminal conspiracy, assault with a deadly weapon likely to produce great bodily injury. His charges were pled down to voluntary manslaughter and he was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

No longer in jail, on Oct. 10, 2020, at about 11:15 p.m., Ricardo Garcia reported being shot at near Date Street and Rennat Way. Officers located and contacted Garcia, then-28, north of the location.

There were several apparent bullet holes in his 2013 Mercedes. Garcia reported he was driving home with his 16-year-old brother when an unknown person exited another vehicle and fired numerous shots at his vehicle.

Garcia was treated on-scene by paramedics for lacerations caused by shattered window glass. The 16-year-old was not injured in the attack.

Returning to the Mar-Val robbery mentioned in the GLINTF press release, at about 5:10 p.m. on Jan. 30, 2022, deputies responded to Mar-Val in Willows, 517 South Tehama Street, for multiple text to 911 calls, with no answer back.

Deputies later learned a man stole groceries from the business and left in a gray Toyota sedan. Deputies located the vehicle and the suspect, who was identified as Ricardo Garcia, at Garcia’s Artois residence.

Garcia disobeyed lawful orders during contact and was subsequently arrested. After further investigation, it was determined Garcia committed robbery by fear (that is, he apparently did not really have a weapon).

He was booked into the Glenn County Jail on charges alleging resisting or obstructing a public service officer (a misdemeanor), and felony robbery. Bail was set at $100,000.

Court records seem to indicate that Garcia’s trial for this incident took place just two days before his arrest for animal cruelty. The records do not say what the outcome of the trial was.

On Feb. 15, 2022, Garcia called Glenn County Sheriff’s dispatch, stating that unknown people broke into his residence at 3186 Highway 99, Artois, and stole his grey t-shirt. Garcia told Deputy Sanzone that he was in custody during the time of Feb.7-14, when the shirt was stolen.

Deputy Sanzone deemed the call unfounded.

At about 7:59 p.m. on Aug. 9, Deputy Goodwin responded to the area of Highway 99 and County Road 31, for a report of a residence that appeared to be riddled with bullet holes. Deputy Goodwin observed the residence at 3186 Highway 99, Artois, had numerous large holes on its west facing side.

The residence was surrounded by a fence, which was secured by a closed gate. The holes in the side of the residence appeared too big to be bullet hole entry points.

It appeared someone had made the holes with an unknown tool. Deputy Goodwin was not able to get a closer look at the residence and was unable to tell for certain what caused the holes.

The deputy observed the resident, Ricardo Garcia, standing outside the home. Deputy Goodwin attempted contact with Garcia, but Garcia did not respond and walked inside the residence.

The deputy spoke with several nearby neighbors. One reported hearing possible gunshots in the area recently, and said she heard one or two possible gunshots at a time, but did not know which direction they came from.

Another neighbor, closer to Garcia’s residence, reported not hearing anything abnormal in the area recently.

At 1:58 p.m. on Aug. 15, Ricardo Garcia contacted the sheriff’s office, requesting to speak to a deputy regarding trespassing issues. Deputy Tuma was dispatched.

The deputy spoke with Garcia, who said the trespassing occurred in 2017 and he now wished to file a report. Garcia claimed he knew who trespassed, but did not have any evidence and they have not returned since.

Deputy Tuma told Garcia the incident would be documented and he should contact the sheriff’s office if the people returned.

As for the animal cruelty and terrorist threats incidents, the sheriff’s office asks that anyone with information or questions regarding this investigation contact the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office at 543 West Oak Street, Willows, or by phone at (530) 934-6431.