Pubdate: Thu, 28 Jan 2016 Source: Chico Enterprise-Record (CA) Copyright: 2016 Chico Enterprise-Record Contact: http://www.chicoer.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/861 Note: Letters from newspaper's circulation area receive publishing priority Author: Andre Byik Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/corrupt.htm (Corruption - United States) FORMER YUBA COUNTY DEPUTY TO STAND TRIAL IN BUTTE WEAPONS CASE Oroville - A former Yuba County sheriff's deputy has been bound over for trial in a Butte County weapons case. Butte County Superior Court Judge James Reilley on Wednesday ruled that there was probable cause to hold defendant Christopher Mark Heath, 37, of Oroville, for trial on a single felony count of possession of an assault weapon. Heath's wife and co-defendant in the case, Tatum Heath, 35, also was held to answer on a single count of possession of an assault weapon. Judge Reilley reduced her charge to a misdemeanor. The Heaths have pleaded not guilty. Christopher Heath had been a deputy sheriff and narcotics task force agent at the Yuba County Sheriff's Office. He resigned from his position Jan. 15, following his arrest Dec. 28 in York County, Pennsylvania, for allegedly trafficking nearly 250 pounds of marijuana, the Marysville Appeal-Democrat reported. During a preliminary hearing, Butte County sheriff's detective David Ennes testified that the Heaths' home, along with several other properties, were searched Dec. 29 following Christopher Heath's arrest in Pennsylvania. Under questioning by deputy district attorney Jessica Miller, Ennes said the authorities found two modified semiautomatic rifles in the couple's gun safe. Each rifle - a .223 caliber Smith & Wesson M&P 15 and a .308 caliber Black Rain Ordnance Fallout 10 - had its "bullet button" removed and replaced with a standard magazine release, Ennes said. The Smith & Wesson rifle was purchased by Christopher Heath but was not found to be registered. The Black Rain Ordnance rifle was registered to Tatum Heath. Further, Ennes said a 30-round magazine inscribed with, presumably, Christopher Heath's initials also was found inside the Smith & Wesson rifle. Neither weapon had been registered as an assault rifle, he said. Under cross-examination by Christopher Heath's attorney, Roberto Marquez, Ennes said Christopher Heath, who was a law enforcement officer at the time the rifles were found, could legally possess 30-round magazines. Ennes added, however, that a high-capacity magazine inserted into an AR-style rifle classifies the firearm as an assault weapon. Law enforcement officers can be authorized by their employers to possess and own assault rifles. And Christopher Heath had been issued an assault weapon through the Yuba County Sheriff's Office, his attorney said. Bruce Wristen, an investigator with the Butte County District Attorney's Office, testified that the Yuba County Sheriff's Office did not have any record of a request from Christopher Heath to purchase an assault weapon. The Heaths are scheduled to be re-arraigned on the weapons charges Feb. 24. Christopher Heath is scheduled to appear in a Pennsylvania courtroom on drug trafficking charges Feb. 11. The defendants remained out of custody. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom