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Schools put on brief lockdown
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Three Ceres schools were placed on lockdown this morning as Ceres officers searched for a wanted suspect who was allegedly toting a handgun.

The campuses of Ceres High School, Mae Hensley Junior High School and Carroll Fowler Elementary School were put into precautionary lockdown mode for a brief period at approximately 11:25 a.m. Once the suspect was located in a backyard in the 2100 block of Fifth Street the lockdowns were lifted. Ceres Police Lt. Brent Smith said the whole incident probably lasted five minutes.

Police arrested Jose Martinez, 37, of Ceres, at gunpoint in the backyard at 2202 Sixth Street.

The incident unfolded when a bondsman from AJ Bail Bonds was looking for Martinez to revoke his bail and spotted him on the sidewalk in front of 2128 Fifth Street, tucking a weapon inside his waistband.

"We didn't know if it was a fake gun or not," said Smith. "We don't know what he did with the gun."

Martinez was arrested Feb. 14 after someone called about a domestic disturbance. The suspect was reportedly standing over a female in the backyard, yelling at her. Officers arrived and Martinez appeared "very angry and confrontational" to officers, said Deputy Chief of Police Mike Borges. Martinez claimed that nothing had been going on but three children in the house appeared to be in a state of terror. The female had left the yard but returned and denied knowing anything.

Martinez had a warrant for violation of a court order, vandalism and petty theft. As he was being taken to the patrol car he resisted arrest and jumped onto the hood of a patrol car netting him a resisting arrest and vandalism charge.