‘Sovereign citizen’ arrested in Placer County; deputies find weapons in truck

A French Corral man wanted on at least two Nevada County felony warrants was arrested Tuesday morning by Placer County’s Sheriff’s deputies in North Auburn.

Bryon Arendell, 50, identified himself as a “sovereign citizen,” autonomous from the laws of the United States, and refused to provide his name to the deputy that stopped him, according to a statement by the Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s deputy initially stopped Arendell due to an expired vehicle registration tag. After identifying him, the deputy also discovered that Arendell was wanted on two felony warrants in Nevada County — possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of a machine gun.

Arendell was previously arrested in July 2019 with a woman after deputies in Nevada County found them panning for gold on private property with a short-barreled shotgun and methamphetamine, according to The Union newspaper in Nevada City.

The Placer County Sheriff’s Office arrested Arendell and he’s been additionally charged with committing a felony while out on bail and being a felon in possession of ammunition.

Arendell remains in the South Placer Jail; his bail is set at $130,000.