Gang member arrested in SV

A man who is a known gang member and a Scotts Valley woman were arrested last week on the 1500 block of Vine Hill Road by members of the Santa Cruz County Gang Task Force.
Micah Howard, 26, whose listed residence is in South Carolina, was arrested after deputies stopped the silver 2005 Cadillac Seville he was driving for an alleged traffic violation at 11:15 a.m. Wednesday, June 8.
Deputies determined that he was driving without a license and had an outstanding misdemeanor warrant for his arrest.
A search of Howard and the vehicle turned up a gram of methamphetamine and a loaded .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun, deputies reported, which matched the description of a gun reported as stolen in March from a vehicle in Watsonville.
Howard was arrested on the misdemeanor warrant and on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine, possession of a loaded firearm in a vehicle, possession of stolen property and participation in a street gang.
Brittany Trueblood, 21, of Scotts Valley, was found riding in the back seat of the Cadillac when deputies stopped the car. She was arrested after deputies noted that she displayed signs of being under the influence of a controlled substance.
Santa Cruz County Gang Task Force Commander Mario Sulay said that Howard’s arrest in Scotts Valley might not indicate an increase in gang activity in the area.
“Our county is small enough to where it’s not uncommon to see gang members from one end of the county in the other end,” Sulay said.
Most incidents involving gangs in Scotts Valley, he said, revolve around transplanted gang members hiding from police and rivals in the relatively quiet northern end of Santa Cruz County.