The husband of a Chula Vista woman who disappeared four months ago was ordered last week to hand over at least 20 firearms and a cache of ammunition that he kept at home, and was told not to buy new weapons, according to reports. court records.
Last Wednesday, a Superior Court judge issued a temporary restraining order for gun violence against Larry Millete. In the request for the warrant, authorities claimed that Millete had illegal and unregistered assault weapons in his home, and that his children had access to the weapons.
Investigators said in court records that a photo found on Millete’s phone showed his 4-year-old son standing on a table with about 16 firearms, several high-capacity magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
“The firearms stash included two illegal AR-15 short-barreled assault weapons platforms, five AR-15 platform rifles (of undetermined legality), three pump-action shotguns, a scoped bolt-action rifle, and five semi-automatic pistols. ”Wrote San Diego Police Detective Justin Garlow in support of the restraining order.
The photo was dated January 9, two days after Maya’s family May Millete knew for the last time about her. Chula Vista police said they were notified that the woman was missing in early January 10.
Police have not classified Larry Millete as a suspect or person of interest in his wife’s disappearance. He did not respond to a message left for him by the San Diego Union-Tribune.
In an interview with 10News a few days after his wife’s disappearance, Millete said he initially thought a friend had picked her up at the house, perhaps to go wine tasting or hiking, but became concerned when he missed her birthday. his daughter.
May Millete, a mother of three, had had marital problems with her husband of 21 years, according to her family. The day he disappeared, he had gone to the office of a lawyer specializing in divorces and filled out a client admission form, according to a lawyer who works on behalf of May Millete’s family.
Two days after the judge issued the temporary restraining order for firearm violence, the police served another search warrant at the family’s home on Paseo Los Gatos, near Parque Monte San Miguel, in eastern Chula Vista. The house was also searched in January.
Judge Katherine Bacal set a hearing for June 22 to determine whether to impose a firearm violence restraining order that could last between one and five years.
Bacal also ordered the sealing of the judicial file. In the written request to seal the file, the City Attorney’s Office noted that there was “an ongoing criminal investigation.”
The documents that were public had redacted the name of the defendant, showing his initials as LM. Details about the Chula Vista police investigation and the address of the house were also crossed out.
A spokeswoman for the San Diego City Attorney’s Office said the office handled the gun violence restraining order case because Millete has ties to San Diego. He works as a civil contractor at the Balboa Naval Hospital.
“Although Mr. Millete lives in another city, he has important ties within our jurisdiction. Our office filed the GVRO with the help of the Chula Vista Police Department to remove the defendant’s firearms, ”wrote spokeswoman Hilary Nemchik.
According to court records, a detective began searching Millete’s firearm records in April after officers seized three unregistered assault weapons. One was taken from Millete’s home and two were taken from his uncle’s home, court documents say.
It is unclear how many weapons police believe were in Millete’s home.
A restraining order petition lists at least 22 guns believed to be in Millete’s possession, 14 of them with unknown serial numbers. In a statement filed by Garlow, however, he refers to 20 firearms – 18 of which he says are “pending.”
Garlow said he searched the state’s Automated Firearms System and found eight firearms registered to Millete, two of which were previously seized by Chula Vista police.
Millete told investigators that he “knew they were going to get his firearms” when they searched his home and that he gave “multiple firearms to his friends,” according to the detective. Millete declined to reveal who he had given the weapons to, Garlow said.
After police searched his home, Millete bought two more firearms, according to the detective. Garlow said the “totality of the circumstances” justified the issuance of the restraining order for gun violence.
“The danger is that children have access to firearms, in the possession of illegal assault weapons, in the possession of unregistered firearms, in allowing a third party to possess firearms without a legal transfer, and in the recent purchase of firearms after the execution of a search warrant of his house where illegal firearms were seized, ”he wrote.
May Millete’s disappearance has led to periodic searches by volunteers in Chula Vista and elsewhere, with people scouring parks and trails and more remote areas in search of clues. Police officials have provided the media with updated information
May Millete’s disappearance has led to periodic searches by volunteers in Chula Vista and elsewhere, with people scouring parks and trails and more remote areas in search of clues. Police officials have provided updates to the media every two weeks.
According to last week’s update, investigators have interviewed 56 people, written 23 search warrants and reviewed more than 55 leads.
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