By Aaron Burgin, The Porterville Recorder
The Porterville Police Department revived a cold homicide case with a flurry of action Friday, but two arrests stemming from their activity were unrelated to the killing.

Officers from the department's Special Investigations Unit arrested two men on a number of charges, including being active gang members, after officers approached a residence on South Cloverleaf Street investigating the November shooting death of Donald Nathan Buford.

“These men aren't involved with the Buford case,” Sgt. Jake Castellow said Friday afternoon as police searched the house on South Cloverleaf. “Because the homicide investigation is still active, I cannot disclose more information on what we were looking for.”

Buford was found lying on the east curb of E Street and Walnut Avenue on Nov. 18, suffering from a gunshot wound. He was first transported to Sierra View District Hospital and later transferred to University Medical Center in Fresno where he died Nov. 23.

On Friday afternoon, police approached Ruben Celaya, whom Castellow said fit the description of a person of interest in the homicide investigation, in the front yard of the Cloverleaf residence. Celaya fled from police.

A dozen officers in five black-and-white cruisers and one undercover vehicle responded to the scene. Detectives arrested Celaya, 20, after the man “violently fought” with them, according to a statement released by the department.

Shortly after police took Celaya away from the scene, they received permission from a man who lived at the house to search both the main quarters and a rear quarters on the back of the property.

Their search yielded six grams of suspected “ICE” methamphetamine, drug scales and other drug-related items, Northern Gang paraphernalia and a loaded .357-caliber revolver with extra ammunition.

Police later arrested the homeowner, 28-year-old Richard Luis Montijo, for suspicion of drug sales, firearms possession, and suspicion of being an active street gang member. He was booked at the Tulare County Main Jail and is being held in lieu $50,000 bail. Celaya is being held at Main Jail in lieu of $20,000 bail.

Castellow said that police will continue to follow the fresh lead in the homicide investigation that led them to the Cloverleaf residence. Buford's death, which was not earlier reported because it occurred in Fresno, is being investigated as one of the city's nine homicides in 2006.

A 10th homicide, the shooting death of Felix Platas, happened one block outside of the city limits and was investigated by the Tulare County Sheriff's Department.

Porterville Special Weapons and Tactics officers were involved with the arrest of the suspect in the Platas case. “Buford is definitely a Porterville homicide,” Sgt. Duane Griffin said Friday.

Contact Aaron Burgin at 784-5000, Ext. 1047, or aburgin@portervillerecorder.com.

This story was published in The Porterville Recorder on Jan. 6, 2007