Man found with a hand grenade, weapons following a traffic stop in Ridgecrest

The Kern County Sheriff's Office arrested a man after they found a semi-automatic rifle and a hand grenade in his car during a traffic stop.

On October 22nd, a KCSO deputy made a traffic stop at the intersection of North Brown Road and Inyokern Road. After an initial investigation, the driver, Charles Holmes, was found in possession of narcotics paraphernalia. Holmes, a convicted felon, was placed under arrest.

While searching Holmes' vehicle, deputies found a loaded SKS style rifle, several high capacity magazines, body armor, and a hand grenade. The Kern County Sheriff's Office Bomb Squad responded to the scene and disposed of the hand grenade.

Holmes was booked into the Mojave Jail and faces multiple weapons and narcotics charges.