Police arrest 2 felons found with drugs and guns in SLO County

Two people found with illegal drugs and falsely identified guns in their car were arrested in Arroyo Grande on Thursday night, according to a police press release.

The Arroyo Grande Police Department received a report of two individuals, possibly under the influence, parked on the 900 block of Rancho Parkway.

When officers arrived on the scene around 8 p.m., they saw drugs in plain view. A vehicle search revealed a loaded AR-15 platform rifle with an altered serial number, a bot-action rifle, and a loaded handgun. Officers also discovered a large quantity of what they suspect to be fentanyl, other illicit drugs, and evidence of narcotics sales.

Police arrested Courtney Opely of Oceano and Ryan Flaherty of Bakersfield. Both suspects had outstanding warrants for their arrests.

Opely, 38, and Flaherty, 32, were medically cleared at a local hospital, then booked into the San Luis Obispo County Jail.

Opely was booked for multiple outstanding warrants on nine counts including altering a firearm’s identifying information, possession of paraphernalia and controlled substances for sale, and public intoxication.

Flaherty faced one outstanding warrant. He was booked on all nine of the same counts as Opely, as well as five additional counts including false impersonation, felony possession of a firearm, and resisting an officer.