Yuba City man found not guilty of gun charge

Sutter County jurors on Thursday found a Yuba City man not guilty of negligently discharging a firearm before a standoff with police at his home.

Martin Anthony Galindo, 61, who has been in custody since the Nov. 21 incident in the 900 block of Shasta Street, was found guilty of resisting arrest and will be sentenced March 22, said Deputy District Attorney Brett Wasley.

Yuba City police, including a SWAT team, surrounded the house for more than two hours before Galindo surrendered.

After a "lively debate" lasting about four hours, jurors also found Galindo guilty of violating terms of probation imposed after a 2008 conviction for carrying a loaded gun in public, said Wasley.

Jurors indicated in interviews after the trial that they accepted Galindo's testimony about firing in self-defense when a man threatened him in his backyard.

Neighbors testified they heard a shot and saw Galindo standing near a man in his 20s or 30s but did not see Galindo fire the gun, said Wasley.

"We didn't get the result we wanted this time," Wasley said.

Judge Chris Chandler may sentence Galindo to time already served in Sutter County Jail, he said.

Police were called when neighbors heard the shot. Officers gathered behind patrol cars, pointing rifles and handguns at the house, and used a public address system to try and talk Galindo out.

Galindo emerged hours later as SWAT officers approached the door of the house with a battering ram.