Merced County Sheriff's Office

OFFICIAL STATEMENT: CLARIFICATION REGARDING MAY 26 ARREST

The Merced County Sheriff’s Office is issuing a clarification to correct misinformation circulating online regarding a recent arrest at the John Latorraca Correctional Center located on Sandy Mush Road. The individual arrested is not a Deputy Sheriff and has never been employed by or affiliated with the Merced County Sheriff’s Office or Merced County.

On May 26, 2026, 66-year-old private investigator Darren Hise arrived at the John Latorraca Correctional Center to speak with an incarcerated individual. Mr. Hise had been court-contracted to assist this individual, who is currently representing themselves.

During a routine search inside the facility, custodial deputies located six concealed bindles hidden in Mr. Hise's waistband. Inside the bundles, deputies discovered approximately 150 grams of concentrated cannabis and approximately 30 grams of to***co.

Mr. Hise was immediately arrested and booked into the Merced County Jail on the following charges, knowingly bringing drugs and contraband into a correctional facility transportation of concentrated cannabis, conspiracy to commit a felony and gang enhancements.
This remains an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office.

Please direct all media requests to Public Information Officer Alexandra Garcia: [email protected] (209) 875-2385

At 1:58 am today, Deputies responded to a shooting at Valley Oak Lane and Cottonwood Court in Planada. Deputies learned the victim’s vehicle had been shot at by 20-year-old Aaron Barragan Gonzalez. The victim was not injured during the incident. Gonzalez, along with 32-year-old Ari Gonzalez Cardenas and a juvenile who was believed to be associated with the incident, fled into a residence in the 200 block of Zarate Court. After Deputies arrived at the residence, Cardenas surrendered and was arrested. The Merced Sheriff’s Office SWAT team responded to assist in serving a search warrant on the residence. While on scene, Deputies learned that Gonzalez and the juvenile were spotted nearby. Gonzalez was located and arrested without incident.

Gonzalez was booked into the Merced County Jail for assault with a deadly weapon, felon in possession of a firearm, brandishing a firearm, participating in a criminal street gang, and probation violation. Cardenas was also booked into the Merced County Jail for conspiracy to commit a crime and participating in a criminal street gang. This remains an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information regarding this incident can contact the Merced County Sheriff’s Office at 209.385.7472. Callers may remain confidential.

All smiles from K9 Nikko and our team at Castle’s Open Cockpit day! We had a great time connecting with our community and checking out some awesome aircraft. Sergeant Domingue and Deputy Ezraeelo showed off some K9 training gear for the community to check out!

Merced County Sheriff's Animal Services Bureau was also on-site with dogs for adoption, as well as our aviation team! 🐾

Thanks for having us Castle Air Museum! ✈️👏

Today, Custodial Deputies Pulido and Sanchez attended Los Banos Elementary for their Career Fair! Students enjoyed asking many questions and learning more about potential career opportunities in our jail facilities! We love being able to impact the lives of children in our community! 👏👏👏