[420 Girl]

Mendocino County law authorities have uncovered physical evidence that some marijuana-seeking home-invasion robbers are using law enforcement gear to impersonate police.

A security badge, bullet-resistant vests and baseball-type caps lettered with "Police" and "Narcotics" were discovered during a drug-related search Thursday of a modular home set amid vineyards southeast of Ukiah, law officials said.

Police have heard unconfirmed stories that robbers have been impersonating police while conducting home invasion robberies to steal marijuana and money, said Mendocino County Sheriff's spokesman Lt. Rusty Noe.

"Most go unreported because they're ( illegal ) dope growers," said Bob Nishiyama, commander of the Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force.

Victims who are in the country illegally also are afraid to report such crimes, officials said.

Two residents of the home, Juan Carlos Garcia Arringuin and Veronica Sandoval Vega, both 35, were arrested Thursday on suspicion of possessing methamphetamine and marijuana for sale and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Their two young sons were retrieved from school and taken into custody by child protective services, said Nishiyama.

A third suspect staying at the home is being sought, he said.

Investigators had not determined whether those living in the Ruddick-Cunningham Road home had been involved in a robbery or whether the police gear was left behind by a man who had once stayed at the home, said Sheriff's Sgt. Greg Van Patten.

Seized at the home were about 2 pounds of processed marijuana; an estimated 10 pounds of unprocessed marijuana; a quarter ounce of methamphetamine; and a rifle, Nishiyama said.

The law enforcement equipment included handcuffs, black pants and vests that can be fitted with bullet-resistent panels. Most of the items can be purchased online or from stores or catalogs specializing in security supplies, Noe said.

The equipment could belong to a man who had previously stayed at the suspects' home, Gary Robert Villa, 26, who recently was arrested on suspicion of participating in a December home invasion robbery on Cow Mountain, Van Patten said.

The victim of that robbery reported Villa was wearing body armor when he and an accomplice made off with 3 pounds of marijuana following an exchange of gunfire.

Search warrants served in the Ukiah area in connection with Villa's arrest turned up a bullet-resistant vest with the same serial number as one seized in Thursday's raid, Van Patten said.

At least two other home invasion robberies in which the robbers reportedly identified themselves as law enforcement officers were reported in Boonville last year, officials said.

They believe the actual number may approach 20. No suspects have been arrested in those cases.

The police impersonations are of grave concern to law enforcement officials.

They are not only a danger to victims, they're also a danger to law enforcement, Noe said.

"If we're doing our job and we're on a legitimate raid, how are ( pot growers ) going to know we're not a robber?" he asked.

"It doubles our risk," Noe said. "I'm very concerned."

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