Marin investigators arrest convicted felon in gun probe

Marin County authorities arrested a convicted felon in the East Bay in a firearms investigation.

Jadian Marquiss Hayden, 28, allegedly visited the county in June and had a handgun and a high-capacity magazine, said sheriff’s Sgt. Chris Boden. Investigators determined he lives at a San Leandro residence and obtained a search warrant for the property.

“We’ve been trying to find him for some time,” Boden said. “He wasn’t an easy person to find. In fact, when we found him, he was surprised that we found him.”

Deputies executed the warrant on Wednesday. They found a loaded .45-caliber pistol in Hayden’s car — which, as a convicted felon, Hayden is prohibited from having — and an approximately 50-round drum magazine in his home, Boden said.

They also found an expended shell casing in the car, indicating someone might have fired a shot or shots from within the car, Boden said.

Hayden told deputies he carries the gun for protection and “believes that felons should not be prohibited from carrying firearms,” Boden said.

The gun is not registered in California, and the sheriff’s office is investigating its origins.

Hayden was arrested on suspicion of gun possession by a felon, illegal possession of ammunition, possession of a high-capacity magazine and carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle.

The sheriff’s office sought and obtained a court order enhancing the bail amount to $500,000 because of the guns and because of Hayden’s prior record, which includes a 2012 conviction for carrying a loaded firearm in public, Boden said.

The district attorney’s office charged Hayden on Friday with one count, possession of a firearm by a felon. He was assigned to a public defender and arraigned on Monday. A judge granted a defense motion to release Hayden on his own recognizance and ordered him to return to court on Nov. 28 to set a preliminary examination of the evidence.

Hayden could not be reached for comment.