In the early morning hours of Monday, June 15th, deputies on patrol came upon a man near the intersection of Soledad Canyon Road and Sand Canyon Road. After speaking to him, the deputies learned that he was on probation from a recent burglary charge. Unfortunately for the suspect, he was armed with a knife – which is a violation of his probation – and he was arrested and taken into custody by deputies. He was charged with carrying a concealed dirk or dagger, and was taken for booking and processing at the Santa Clarita Sheriff Station. He is currently being held in custody with no bail.
Probation is a sanction put forth by the court system. A person is put on probation when they are found guilty of a crime. Depending on the nature of the crime and the defendant’s prior criminal history, they can serve their sentence entirely on probation or as part of a jail time/probation combination. When someone is put on probation, they may be ordered to perform community service, attend counseling, or pay a fine.
It’s pretty common to have certain restrictions or criteria attached to a person’s probation. For example, people on probation may experience restrictions on the drugs and alcohol they are allowed to consume, and their right to own (or even possess) a firearm is often suspended while they are on probation. If a person violates the terms of their probation or commits another crime (even a minor one) while they are on probation are at risk of having their probation revoked and returning to jail to serve out the remainder of their sentence.
People on probation for felony crimes are allowed to remain in their communities provided that they keep in regular contact with a probation officer who will oversee the defendant’s period of probation. If the defendant is charged with probation for a misdemeanor offense, they are often allowed to remain in their community without supervision.
