Felon faces new charges after deputies seize 107 firearms

A convicted felon with prior weapons charges faces seven felony counts after San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's deputies seized 107 firearms from a Morro Bay-area home during a March raid that also netted methamphetamine and ammunition.

Search Yields Massive Weapons Cache

Jacob Cole Clopton, 39, was charged by the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office following a March 12 search warrant execution at a residence on Little Morro Creek Road in the Morro Bay area, according to court documents filed in Superior Court case No. 26F-03666.

Deputies discovered firearms scattered across multiple locations on the property, including outdoor sheds, a garage safe, a horse barn, vehicles, and the main residence. The seized weapons included rifles, shotguns, and pistols, according to Cal Coast News. Authorities also confiscated what the District Attorney's Office described as a "substantial quantity of ammunition and reloaded ammunition, magazines, firearm components and methamphetamine."

Criminal History Complicates Case

Clopton's criminal history spans multiple states and jurisdictions. He was previously convicted of theft of a firearm in Cameron County, Texas on July 15, 2016 — a conviction prosecutors allege qualifies as a serious or violent felony strike under California law, according to the Paso Robles Daily News.

More recently, Clopton was convicted of felony resisting an executive officer and unlawful driving or taking of a vehicle in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court Case No. 24F-07642. Those offenses occurred on October 25 and were resolved by October 29, court records show.

Seven Felony Charges Filed

The District Attorney's Office charged Clopton with one count of possession of a controlled substance while armed with a loaded, operable firearm, five counts of possession of a firearm by a felon with priors, and one count of possession of ammunition by a prohibited person, KEYT News reported.

The criminal complaint also alleges Clopton has a prior strike under California's Three Strikes Law due to his Texas firearms theft conviction.

Regional Context on Firearms Laws

The case comes at a time when coastal San Luis Obispo County communities have been grappling with firearms regulations. Morro Bay, where the property is located, passed a safe storage ordinance in 2021 requiring guns in residences to be stored in locked containers, disabled with trigger locks, carried by authorized users, or kept within close enough proximity for ready access, according to New Times San Luis Obispo.

Legal Process and Next Steps

Clopton remains in San Luis Obispo County Jail, where he has been in custody since the charges were filed. The District Attorney's Office emphasized that the criminal complaint contains only allegations and that Clopton is presumed innocent under law. Prosecutors must prove each charge beyond a reasonable doubt before a court may find him guilty.

Investigators continue seeking information from the public that could assist in the investigation or prosecution. Anyone with relevant information is asked to contact San Luis Obispo County Crime Stoppers anonymously at (800) 549-7867. Tipsters may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a cash reward.