SLO County man arrested at traffic stop with ghost gun, silencer, police say
A Grover Beach resident was arrested after an investigation by the Grover Beach Police Department allegedly unearthed a ghost gun and other firearm paraphernalia in his possession.
According to a news release from the Grover Beach Police Department, officers conducted a traffic stop Tuesday on a vehicle occupied by a known subject at around 2:58 p.m.
Grover Beach resident Eric Covault, 36, was detained by the officers during the stop.
Covault was not an occupant of the vehicle when it was stopped, according to Cmdr. Nelida Aceves. The occupant of the vehicle notified Covault of the stop by phone and Covault went to the location, at which point he was contacted and detained by officers, Aceves told The Tribune.
According to the release, Covault was previously known to possess illegal firearm components, and his vehicle had been repossessed two weeks prior.
According to the release, officers found a ghost gun, a firearm silencer and a firearm with its serial number removed in Covault’s vehicle, later obtaining a search warrant for Covault’s residence.
Detective served the warrant at Covault’s home in the 1700 block of Manhattan Avenue later that day, finding several unserialized firearm components, large-capacity magazines and evidence of firearm manufacturing, according to the release.
Covault was arrested and booked on multiple charges, including possession of large capacity magazines; manufacture, sale or possession of a ghost gun; possession of a firearm silencer; and obliterating the identification of a firearm.
Covault was not in custody of the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the Sheriff’s Office website.
This story was originally published October 23, 2024 at 4:08 PM.
