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CAPITOLA – A 20-year-old man was arrested Tuesday who appeared on the Santa Cruz County law enforcement’s Most Wanted list on Thursday, authorities said. Law enforcement agencies compiled the list before its publication, and verified the outstanding warrant hours before the man’s arrest, Sheriff Phil Wowak said.
Daniel Lee Ferreira, 20, was wanted by Scotts Valley Police for battery, unlawful entry and possessing stolen property. He was arrested about 7:20 a.m. Tuesday during a traffic stop near 30th Avenue and Capitola Road, according to jail records and the Sheriff’s Office.
Ferreira listed his occupation as “disabled,” according to jail records, and authorities said he has had previous drug charges. On Feb. 8, Ferreira entered a Scotts Valley home and battered one of the residents and then tried to sell the stolen property, police said. Ferreira was not in jail as of Thursday, according to jail records.
Todd Long, who was also on the Most Wanted list and arrested, is not in jail, according to jail records.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Dan Campos said that County Jail inmates – even some on the Most Wanted list – can post bail with a promise to appear in court. The list includes some of the thousands of people in Santa Cruz County who have outstanding warrants, he said.
“Just because they’re the most wanted doesn’t mean they’re the most heinous of our criminals,” Campos said.
Authorities also said Thursday that 19-year-old Jeronimo Carranza, who appeared on Thursday’s Most Wanted list, is in San Quentin State Prison.
Wowak said they will run warrants through the state’s parole system before submitting them to the media to avoid a future error. Wowak has said that none of the county’s law enforcement has a team of officers available to track down outstanding warrants, which makes it difficult to locate the more than 13,000 people currently in the system.
Carranza was wanted by Watsonville police for resisting arrest, drug possession and he is an active gang member, authorities said.
Five Santa Cruz County law enforcement agencies have distributed a Most Wanted list since Jan. 20, and 10 of the 35 suspects on the list have been arrested or turned themselves in to authorities, according to records.