Petaluma man nabbed after leaving ghost gun, marijuana in motel room

PETALUMA — A Petaluma man was arrested Friday evening for alleged possession of a ghost gun, Petaluma police reported Saturday morning.

Officers were first dispatched to Motel 6 at 1368 North McDowell Boulevard at 1:57 p.m. after motel staff found a handgun and a large amount of marijuana in a room they entered to clean. The staff confiscated the items in the room and handed them over to the officers.

The firearm recovered was a Polymer 80 handgun, commonly known as a “ghost gun,” containing a 29-round high-capacity magazine. Police also seized approximately 267 grams of marijuana.

Valentin J. Rodriguez, an 18-year-old man from Petaluma, returned to the motel at 6 p.m. looking for the confiscated items and was identified by the police as the suspect who had paid for the room.

Rodriguez was booked into the Sonoma County Main Adult Detention Facility on suspicion of possession of a firearm without a serial number, possession of an assault weapon, possession of a large capacity magazine and possession of armor piercing bullets.