Late afternoon on Tuesday, February 21st, Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a 911 call at a residence in the area of County Road L and County Road 34. The 911 caller reported that a male party, with whom there had been an ongoing inter-familial dispute, was at the residence brandishing an AK-47 assault rifle and had fired off several rounds in front of the house.
Deputies arrived in the area and located a vehicle matching the description of that belonging to the suspect in the area of County Road L and County Road 32. Deputies conducted a high-risk stop on the vehicle and detained two male suspects, 23 year-old Otoniel Martinez-Santiesteban of Haxtun, and 31 year-old John Scheffer of Holyoke. Deputies recovered an AK-47 with a scratched off serial number, and approximately 30 rounds of ammunition that had been tossed into the ditch along the side of County Road L.
Both were transported to the Yuma County Jail. Martinez-Santiesteban was charged with Felony Menacing, Prohibited Use of Weapons, Possession of a Defaced Firearm, and Tampering with Physical Evidence. Scheffner was charged with Accessory to a Crime, Possession of a Defaced Firearm, and Possession of a Weapon by a Previous Felony Offender. The investigation is ongoing and charges may be modified or added in the coming days. Both subjects are currently being held without bond until advised by a District Court Judge. No one was hurt during this incident and the Sheriff’s Office does not have any reason to believe that there is any ongoing threat to the community stemming from this incident.