Felon arrested in Herlong on gun charges

HERLONG, Calif.. (KOLO) -The Lassen County Sheriff’s Office arrested a convicted felon Thursday in Herlong on weapons charges.

Brian Keith Johnson Jr., 41, of Sacramento was booked on charges of possession of a ghost gun, possession of a short-barreled rifle, possession of an illegal assault weapon and being a felon in possession of a gun and ammunition.

The sheriff’s office used a special weapons and tactics team to serve a search warrant on the home where Johnson was staying. The operation included the use of an armored rescue vehicle and a drone. Johnson was called out and arrested without incident.

Inside the bedroom they found a semi-automatic rifle with 35 rounds of armor-piercing ammunition in it, the sheriff’s office said. It did not have a serial number and was determined to be a ghost gun, the sheriff’s office said.

The sheriff’s office found a sawed-off .410 shotgun and several boxes of ammunition in Johnson’s closet, the sheriff’s office said. That ammunition included .357 Sig. At another location investigators found a ghost gun in .357 Sig they believe also belonged to Johnson, the sheriff’s office said.

Johnson’s bail was set at $30,000 and as of Saturday morning he had been released on bond.