SANTA CRUZ — A man whose arrest earlier this month raised community concerns about police use of force was arrested for a second time last week.
Santa Cruz resident Teran Whitley, 29, was booked Thursday into Santa Cruz County Jail on suspicion of misdemeanors of driving under the influence and carrying a loaded handgun that is not his own, plus felony transporting narcotics for sale and possessing controlled substances while armed, according to jail logs and a Sheriff’s Office spokesperson. Whitley, who initially was held in lieu of $50,000 bail, was no longer in custody Monday. The Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office had not yet filed criminal charges in the case per court records, as of Monday afternoon.
The same or a similar California Highway Patrol arrest was referenced in a Facebook post Thursday afternoon. CHP Santa Cruz spokesperson Officer Israel Murillo declined Monday to confirm whether or not the agency had arrested Whitley because, he said, such disclosure of otherwise public information could endanger the investigation into the referenced arrest.
According to the CHP Facebook post, officers stopped a vehicle for allegedly speeding and where the driver reportedly displayed signs of impairment. Officers then allegedly discovered an unregistered loaded firearm and drugs intended for sale inside the car.
Santa Cruz community organizer and activist Thairie Ritchie held an event he dubbed a community safety forum Sunday expected to touch on the Santa Cruz Police Department’s arrest of Whitley for resisting police after an alleged bicycle traffic violation. The event was intended to get public input on reimagining the future of public safety, Ritchie said in an event announcement.
Santa Cruz police began internally investigating Whitley’s April 10 stop on Bay Street after receiving complaints about what witnesses told the Sentinel appeared to be an excessive use of force. The department investigation by its Professional Standards Unit remained ongoing Monday, Deputy Police Chief Jon Bush said. No formal criminal charges against Whitley were listed in Santa Cruz County court records Monday.
