Parolee sought by La Habra police arrested near Whittier with aid of SWAT team

A sheriff’s SWAT arrested an wanted parolee and suspected drug dealer sought by La Habra police after searching two nearby homes in an unincorporated county area near Whittier Wednesday, authorities said.
Dean Wills, 45, of La Mirada, who had absconded from parole supervision, was being sought on a warrant for sales of narcotics, La Habra police spokeswoman Cindy Knapp said.
La Habra police were backed up by deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Special Enforcement Bureau when the went in search of Wills Wednesday morning.
“Wills, a parolee-at-large, was known to have a history of violence and evading police,” La Habra police officials said in a written statement.
Officials first went to a home in the 15800 block of Ocean Avenue in the unincorporated Whittier about 11 a.m. After a couple tense hours, during which officials treated the situation as a possible barricaded suspect, the SWAT team determined the suspect was not at the home.
But the hunt continued, and police and deputies soon picked up on the trail of the suspect shortly after 3 p.m. at a house less than a mile away on Stamy Road, just north of Leffingwell Road, in unincorporated Whittier, Knapp said.
“Wills was arrested at the second location without incident,” according to the police statement. Further details of his arrest were not available.
Due to his status as a parolee, Wills was being held without bail, officials said. Information regarding his initial court appearance was not available late Wednesday.

– Ruby Gonzales and Brian Day

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