Jury convicts Rye Daniel Wardlaw of being a felon in possession of ammunition while out on bail in a separate felony case
Author: District Attorney
Date: 2/11/2025 3:16 PM
District Attorney Dan Dow announced today that a San Luis Obispo County jury has returned guilty verdicts after a trial where Rye Daniel Wardlaw (DOB 09/04/1977) was accused of possessing ammunition while he was prohibited from lawfully possessing ammunition because he has been convicted of a prior felony offense. He will be sentenced on March 5, 2025.
On Nov 17, 2024, Rye Daniel Wardlaw (DOB 09/04/1977) was arrested by the San Luis Obispo Police Department on a warrant for failing to appear in court on an active felony vandalism case. During a search of Wardlaw’s backpack pursuant to arrest, officers found 55 live rounds of .22 caliber ammunition. No gun was found.
Wardlaw was charged with possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. He had three prior convictions for felony vandalism and one prior conviction for felony possession of an illegal firearm.
Wardlaw pleaded not guilty and elected to have a jury trial on the ammunition case, where on February 7, 2025, he was found guilty. The jury also found true a special allegation that he was out on bail in a separate felony case when he was found with the 55 rounds of ammunition.
After the jury convicted Wardlaw in the ammunition case, he pleaded no contest to the felony vandalism case for which he was out on bail. That case involved two incidents. In one, he threw a lock through the window of a local business and in the other he damaged a downtown parking pay machine with a golf club.
There was no agreement on the sentence he will receive given the guilty verdict in the ammunition case and his no contest plea in the vandalism case. Wardlaw is scheduled to be sentenced on March 5, 2025, in Department 8 of the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court where he faces a maximum sentence of 5 years and 8 months in prison.
The case was investigated by the San Luis Obispo Police Department and prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Ashley Cevera.
Here is the defendant’s booking photo. Here is a copy of the charging document.
Please contact Assistant District Attorney Eric J. Dobroth at 805.781.5819 with any questions.
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