Newport man jailed on California warrants

OLDTOWN — A Newport man is waiving extradition to face series of child sexual abuse charges in California, according to Bonner County Magistrate Court records.

Rudy Gilbert Garcia was arrested for felony drug possession during a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 2 on May 20, which led to the discovery of warrants out of Madera County alleging use of the internet to have sexual contact with a minor, lewd conduct with a child under the age of 14, possession of obscene materials and battery, court documents indicate.

Garcia, 40, was a passenger in a vehicle which was stopped by a sheriff’s deputy for failing to come to a complete stop before pulling onto the highway from a Mobil filling station. A methamphetamine pipe was discovered wedged between a seat and the center console of the vehicle.

The driver of the vehicle, Zachery Thomas Litte, and Garcia were both charged with possession of meth and drug paraphernalia. Both Thomas, 45, and Garcia, are being prosecuted as persistent violators due to prior felony convictions. Garcia has convictions for kidnapping and felony drug possession in Madera County, felony domestic violence in Stanislaus County, Calif., and felony assault in Yakima, Wash.

If convicted of the underlying drug offenses, Little and Garcia face an additional five years to life in prison under Idaho’s iteration of the three-strikes law.

Garcia became subject of the Madera County warrants in late 2019, according to court documents.

Garcia waived extradition back to California and is being held at the Bonner County Jail without bail. A review hearing in the case is set for Aug. 12.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.