A 23-year-old man was arrested Sunday afternoon after he was found hiding on the grounds of an Auburn church, where he allegedly had stashed an AK-47 rifle and other items stolen from a nearby home.
A resident of Bridle Court in Auburn called the Placer County Sheriff's dispatch center shortly after 4 p.m. to report that a friend who had previously stayed in the home had returned without permission and stolen an AK-47 rifle, cash, medical marijuana and electronics, according to a Sheriff's Department news release. Witnesses reported seeing the suspect, Ryan Thomas Bailey (pictured), leaving the residence minutes earlier, carrying a bag and other items.
The Bridle Court home is close to St. Teresa of Avila church on Atwood Road. Several deputies responded to the area of the church, where approximately 50 people were attending mass. A church official was contacted, and the church was placed in lockdown.
Shortly afterward, a sheriff's K-9 unit located Bailey hiding between church school buildings, and he was taken into custody.
Officials said deputies found the items that were reported stolen from the home scattered around the church grounds.
Bailey was booked on suspicion of residential burglary, grand theft of a firearm, being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing a firearm on school grounds, as well as a misdemeanor violation of probation. In addition, Bailey was wanted on two warrants, one for transporting or selling narcotics and the other, for driving while his driver's license was suspended. Bail was set at $70,000.
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