Ripon police arrest man with loaded handgun

RIPON -- Police officers on Friday, responding to a report of a suspicious vehicle, found a man intoxicated and carrying a loaded handgun, a department spokesman said.

Joseph Paul Tine, 31, of Tracy was arrested on suspicion of possessing a concealed loaded gun in public and misdemeanor public intoxication, according to San Joaquin County Sheriff's Department records.

Tine was being held at the San Joaquin County Jail in French Camp, and his bail was set at $203,000. The officers found Tine in the vehicle in the 400 block of Linda Avenue, said Ripon police Sgt. Steve Merchant.

Tine initially gave the officers a false name, Merchant said. During a pat-down search, Merchant said, the officers found a loaded Glock 9mm handgun in Tine's back pocket. The officers seized the gun and arrested Tine.

Merchant said the officers later discovered the gun had been reported stolen.