Feds file gun case against Vallejo man with prior murder arrest
Michael Pitre Jr. was hit with federal gun possession charges after police recovered firearms and a Jason mask at his home in Vallejo.
VALLEJO — A Bay Area man is facing federal gun possession charges after authorities intercepted a package addressed to him at an Antioch home that contained a machine gun, prosecutors said in court records.
Michael R. Pitre Jr., 35, was charged last week by the Eastern California District’s U.S. Attorney’s office with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Prosecutors said in court records that during a search of Pitre’s Vallejo home, authorities discovered multiple firearms, a hockey mask, and ammunition. Children were living at the home, authorities said.
Federal prosecutors also said that Pitre has a prior murder arrest stemming from 2014. That year, he was arrested and charged with murder in a case where he and two other men allegedly attempted to rob a business in Richmond. The business owner was armed and a gun battle ensued, during which Pierre Reddrick, 28, of Richmond, was shot and killed. Prosecutors charged Pitre with murder under the provocative act theory, which puts liability on co-defendants when the victim of a crime exercises lawful, lethal self-defense.
During a search of Pitre’s home on the 100 block of Kemper Street in Vallejo, an AM-15 and a semi-automatic pistol were recovered, authorities wrote in court records. In the search of a nearby vehicle, an AR-15 with a 60-round magazine was allegedly seized.
Federal prosecutors cited the seized guns, and Pitre’s prior arrests, as a reason to keep him in jail while the charges are pending. Pitre’s attorney responding that he is neither a risk to the community nor a flight risk. A federal judge has yet to rule on the prosecution motion.
“Mr. Pitre is a life-long resident of the area near Vallejo, has a stable residence, no passport, no international travel, and no associations to any other area. All of his history is in that area of Solano and Contra Costa Counties,” his attorney wrote in court records. “He has a very supportive family, including his mother and girlfriend, who have signed signature bonds on his behalf. Further, the magistrate judge imposed a strict curfew and ankle monitor condition.”