Turlock man gets 8 years in prison for drug possession

A 41-year-old Turlock man has been convicted and sentenced to eight years in prison for possessing heroin for sale and methamphetamine while possessing a handgun.

Brian Joseph Gomes was convicted and sentenced on Dec. 16, the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday. Deputy District Attorney Heather Melton prosecuted the case.

On July 22, Turlock police pulled over Gomes for a traffic violation and searched his vehicle. Prosecutors said an officer found a hidden storage compartment containing a black zippered-bag holding a loaded 9 mm. pistol and several baggies with meth.

The following week, Stanislaus County Sheriff’s officials served a search warrant at Gomes’ home. They found Gomes hiding in an attic. Inside the home, deputies found a small amount of heroin and packaging material consistent with someone selling drugs, according to prosecutors.

Gomes was convicted in 2010 for negligently firing a gun. The conviction was considered a strike under the state’s Three Strikes Law, which was used to double Gomes’ prison sentence in his latest conviction.

This story was originally published January 3, 2017 at 1:28 PM with the headline "Turlock man gets 8 years in prison for drug possession."