Man pleads no contest after multiple weapons, drugs found on property, DA says

Robert Summa, Appeal-Democrat, Marysville, Calif.
Updated ·2 min read

May 2—James Allen Ledbetter is set to be sentenced next week after pleading no contest to several charges as a result of multiple firearms, drugs and other violations that were reportedly found on his property in Loma Rica, the Yuba County District Attorney's Office said.

Yuba County District Attorney Clint Curry said Ledbetter pled no contest on March 13 to "one felony count for being a felon in possession of firearms, a misdemeanor count for poaching, and a misdemeanor count for diversion of a streambed."

That plea came after a search led by California Department of Fish and Wildlife Officer Sean Pirtle at Ledbetter's property on Los Verjeles Road in Loma Rica, Curry said.

"During the search they discovered the rotting carcass of a buck that Ledbetter poached on December 8, 2023," Curry said in an email to the Appeal. "Officers discovered Ledbetter had a .22 caliber rifle with a homemade silencer, likely used to poach deer. Including the .22 caliber rifle and an 'assault rifle,' officers seized a total of 16 firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Multiple meth pipes were located on the property along with a small amount of suspected psilocybin mushrooms."

Officers with Fish and Wildlife also found Ledbetter had created an "unpermitted pond" on the property by using heavy equipment to widen a portion of South Honcut Creek, Curry said.

As a result of the search, the district attorney's office charged Ledbetter with being a felon in possession of firearms, poaching, the diversion of a streambed, and other related charges.

"As part of the plea agreement, the remaining charges were dismissed, and Ledbetter will be given formal probation with up to a year in the county jail," Curry said. "The court also will have discretion as part of the agreement to order Ledbetter to participate in drug treatment, and enter into and comply with a streambed restoration agreement with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Should the court reject the plea or Ledbetter violate the terms of probation, he can be sentenced up to three years in state prison, the maximum aggregate term for the case."

Ledbetter, who is out on bail pending sentencing, is scheduled to appear in a Yuba County court at 9 a.m. on May 6.