A Mountain View man is being held on $150,000 bail in San Mateo County after police alleged he pointed an unregistered handgun after a fellow shopper at a Menlo Park Safeway asked him to move his car early Sunday morning.
Barton Lunsford, 58, was booked in Redwood City's Maguire Correctional Facility on two felony charges and a misdemeanor after he was arrested Sunday, according to inmate records with the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.
Each charge carries a $50,000 bail amount.
Menlo Park police said a woman called police at 5:53 a.m. on Sunday claiming Lunsford "brandished a firearm" at her after she asked him to move his car that was double-parked in the Safeway parking lot at 525 El Camino Real. When police arrived two minutes later, they said Lunsford was sitting in a car matching the description the woman provided.
The department said officers found a loaded handgun near the front passenger seat, which was unregistered. KCBS Radio reached out to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office asking if Lunsford had a concealed carry permit for the county in which he lives, and we will update this story when we hear back.
Lunsford was arrested on felony charges of carrying a loaded firearm without being its registered owner and making criminal threats, as well as a misdemeanor charge of brandishing a firearm.
Conviction on the first felony charge carries up to a three-year sentence in county jail, while the second can result in up to a year in county jail or state prison. The misdemeanor, meanwhile, has a maximum sentence of a year in county jail.
Lunsford will next appear in court on Tuesday afternoon at 1:30.
Related
