Previously deported man living in Turlock sentenced for firearm possession
A previously deported Mexican national living in Turlock, who has a violent criminal history, was sentenced to six years in prison on Thursday for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Fernando Valencia, 31, was in possession of a loaded firearm in a vehicle in Turlock on Oct. 30, 2019.
“Valencia has a long and virtually unbroken criminal history that includes convictions for burglary, theft, obstructing or resisting an officer, controlled substance offenses, and violent assault,” according to a sentencing memo by U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott.
The “violent assault” happened in 2012 when Valencia hit his girlfriend in the head while she was holding her 1-year-old son, according to a Modesto Bee story about his arrest. When she tried to leave, he swung a frying pan at her but missed. He was convicted of assault likely to produce great bodily injury.
Valencia also was convicted in the Southern District of California of being a deported alien attempting to re-enter the United States. He was on federal probation for that offense and again had reentered the country illegally when he was arrested for the firearms charge in 2019, according to the press release.
The case against Valencia is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.
This story was originally published February 7, 2021 at 6:21 AM.
