A Gainesville man was arrested in early May after he was found in possession of firearms that had previously been stolen in entering auto cases.
According to a social media post from the Gainesville Police Department, Holly Springs Police notified Gainesville Police about a "suspicious contact" with Mario Ayala, 22, in their jurisdiction on May 6.
Ayala was reportedly occupying a black 2016 Mercedes that smelled like marijuana. Holly Springs Police learned that Ayala was in Holly Springs to purchase gun accessories at a gun store. This information was passed along to the Gainesville Police Department.
On May 9, Gainesville Police Detectives found Ayala leaving his home in Gainesville. Around 2:00 a.m., Ayala allegedly ran a red light near the intersection of MLK Jr. Boulevard and Eberhart Street. The lead detective and patrol officers then conducted a traffic stop on Ayala.
Ayala was on active felony probation for theft, and his vehicle was searched under a Fourth Amendment waiver. During the search, four firearms were allegedly found in Ayala's vehicle, three of which had been stolen in previous entering autos in Hall County.
Ayala was arrested and transported to the Hall County Jail, where he remained as of Thursday afternoon.
According to the social media post, Ayala faces four counts of felon in possession of a firearm, three counts of theft by receiving, and one count of failure to obey traffic control device.
The post states this is still an active investigation, and more information will be shared as it becomes available.
