Impounded car leads to arrest of Grover Beach man

October 23, 2024

By KAREN VELIE

An impounded car led to the arrest Tuesday of a 36-year-old Grover Beach man on multiple firearms charges.

Shortly after Eric Covault’s car was impounded, law enforcement learned that the vehicle contained a ghost gun, a firearm silencer, and a firearm that had its serial number removed. Following this discovery, the Grover Beach Police Department Criminal Investigation Division obtained a search warrant for Covault’s residence.

On Tuesday afternoon, Grover Beach police officers conducted a traffic stop and discovered Covault in the car.

Shortly thereafter, officers served the search warrant at Covault’s home in the 1700 block of Manhattan Avenue. During the search, officers found several non-serialized firearm components, large magazines and evidence of firearm manufacturing.

As a result, officers arrested Covault on several charges including:
• Possession of large capacity magazines,
• Manufacture/sell/possess undetectable firearms,
• Possession of a firearm silencer,
• Obscuring the identification of a firearm.