24 Guns Seized During Arrests Of Palm Desert, Cathedral City Men: Cops

PALM DESERT, CA — Two men were being held at the John J. Benoit Detention Center Wednesday on suspicion of illegally possessing multiple firearms and narcotics.

Austin Neville Edwards, 23, of Palm Desert, and Brady Allen Leatherman, 41, of Cathedral City, were arrested Tuesday when members of the Coachella Valley Violent Crime Gang Task Force served search warrants and allegedly found weapons and narcotics in their possession.

At around 4:30 p.m., officers stopped Edwards on Highway 111 and Miles Avenue in Indian Wells and executed a warrant to search his vehicle, recovering a loaded 9 mm semi-auto handgun without a serial number, authorities said.

Edwards was arrested at the scene.

At 5:30 p.m., officers searched his home in the 48000 block of Desert Flower Drive in Palm Desert. According to authorities, officers found cocaine, Xanax pills, a .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun and a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun.

Officers then searched another vehicle that belonged to Edwards and allegedly found a 9 mm AR pistol, officials said.

Edwards was booked into the John J. Benoit Detention Center on suspicion of being in possession of a loaded firearm with narcotics, an unregistered handgun and a concealed firearm in a vehicle. He was being held in lieu of $45,000.

According to court records, Edwards was also in custody last month on weapons-possession charges but was freed May 24 after posting $30,000 bail.

At 11:15 p.m. Tuesday, officers in the 29000 block of Avenida La Paz in Cathedral City found Leatherman in possession of methamphetamine and multiple firearms without serial numbers, authorities said.

Authorities said the weapons allegedly found in Leatherman's possession were 11 rifles, a shotgun and eight handguns.

According to court records, Leatherman has multiple prior convictions for being in possession of firearms and controlled substances.

Leatherman was booked into the John J. Benoit Detention Center on suspicion of being in possession of a firearm with narcotics, being a convicted felon in possession of firearms and ammunition and being in possession of short barreled rifles, according to authorities. He was being held in lieu of $25,000.

Authorities said a total of 24 firearms were confiscated in the investigation Tuesday — 19 of which didn't have serial numbers.