Sheriff's deputies recover stolen Salinas police weapons.

A months-long investigation into a string of vehicle burglaries in the Toro Park area has swept up pounds of methamphetamine and 20 stolen weapons from the hands of 19 suspects.

The burglaries began in March in Toro Park neighborhoods and victims included Salinas Police Chief Kelly McMillin and a Salinas police officer.

Cmdr. John Thornburg of the Sheriff’s office says both McMillin’s AR-15 and the officer’s handgun were recovered from a suspect’s residence two weeks ago. McMillin’s rifle was found damaged. Thornburg suspects the damage occurred when the thieves yanked the weapon from the gun lock in McMillin's car. 

The thieves are believed to have targeted unlocked vehicles, Thornburg says.

It remains unclear if McMillin’s vehicle was unlocked at the time his rifle and several high-capacity magazines were stolen, but Thornburg confirmed the other officer’s vehicle was unlocked when his handgun, uniform and badge were taken. 

It's likely the 19 suspects arrested in connection to the burglaries will be charged with possessing stolen goods, rather than burglary, because most of the vehicles were unlocked and there was no forced entry.

In addition to recovering 20 stolen weapons that included shotguns, handguns and rifles, Thornburg says there were pounds and pounds of methamphetamine confiscated.

“There was a lot of meth—and a lot of it was packaged for sale,” he adds. “And they were protecting those drugs with the guns they had.”

The investigation took several months and took the time of half the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office detective bureau. (The sheriff's office, rather than Salinas PD, investigated these cases which occurred outside of city limits in the sheriff's jurisdiction.)

The sheriff's office continues to investigate the burglaries. And the Salinas Police Department is working along with the sheriff's office to look into the theft of a third police weapon, stolen within Salinas city limits, from a vehicle in the parking lot of a local school last May.