Santa Maria felon caught with guns and meth pipe

Barry Prado

Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies tracked down a felon who was driving near Santa Maria Thursday evening with a case of guns and a meth pipe in his vehicle.

At approximately 9 p.m., deputies stopped a speeding vehicle in the area of Mahoney Road and Black Road, according to a sheriff’s office press release. Deputies searched the  vehicle of Barry Prado, 52, and found a methamphetamine pipe and a large case of rifles.

The case contained an assault rifle without a serial number, as well as a small caliber rifle and two large capacity AR-15 style magazines, deputies said. Prado, of Santa Maria, is prohibited from possessing any firearms.

Deputies arrested Prado and charged him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of an assault weapon, possession of high capacity magazines and possession of drug paraphernalia. Prado was booked into custody at the Lompoc Police Department with his bail set at $35,000.