Orange Cove Mayor's Son Arrested On Drug Charges

Fresno, CA (KFSN) -- The mayor of Orange Cove is trying to get his oldest son out of jail Wednesday night. Fresno County Sheriff's Deputies arrested Victor Lopez, Jr., Wednesday morning on drug charges, but they found much more than just drugs.

Deputies drove the younger Lopez away from his home in, accusing him of having some illegal drugs in his home, but investigators were not just looking for drugs when they went there.

"Our detectives have been working on an identity theft investigation since August of this year," said Deputy Chris Curtice, the spokesman for the Fresno County Sheriff's Department. "As a result, they prepared two search warrants."

Investigators seized several items related to that investigation, and several more connected to a new investigation into possible embezzlement.

Action News cameras found white metal frames that had been seized and placed in the bed of a sheriff's pickup truck. They're part of a surveillance device once tested by the city.

Detectives also took plasma televisions and computers. It's all part of what Mayor Victor Lopez, Sr., calls a big misunderstanding.

"There was a lot of stuff that was removed from the community center to my son's house until my brother, Miguel, could take it to Fresno to be stored over there and then sent back to Korea," he said.

The mayor said his son was arrested for three prescription pills, and he doesn't know anything about the identity theft accusations. He says his sons wouldn't be involved in that.

"I don't teach my kids anything like that," he said. "That's for damn sure."

Still, some neighbors say the Lopez family has been doing this kind of thing for years, but now there's a new police chief in town and things are changing for the better.

"The days of these kind of shenanigans, there's been a history here in Orange Cove," said newly elected police commissioner Eldon Thompson. "I think those days are over."

The home where Victor Lopez, Jr., lives belongs to comedian Paul Rodriguez. He's in Las Vegas for the Latin Grammys and wasn't available for comment.

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