June 8
Don’t know why
At 7:35 p.m. a deputy responded to the Maverick Saloon regarding a subject who attacked a bouncer. After he arrived, several patrons pointed in the direction of the man who had assaulted the bouncer. The man, 46, of Buellton, appeared intoxicated and had blood on the back of his head and his clothing. The deputy detained and searched him, finding a quarter-full, 200-ml bottle of Jägermeister. The bouncer told the deputy the man had been in the bar since noon and had been consuming alcohol until he was kicked out 45 minutes prior to the deputy’s arrival. When the bouncer had attempted to escort him out, he attacked and began pushing the bouncer and the two fell to the ground. A taxi driver called 911. The bouncer wasn’t injured. The man admitted he attacked the bouncer for no reason and didn’t know why he hit him from behind. He was booked into Lompoc City Jail.
June 9
Drip slip
At 12:45 p.m. a deputy was dispatched to the 4800 block of Baseline Avenue on a report of a suspicious male who’d been detained by Chumash Casino patrol. He’d been advised that another man had fled on foot. The casino security officer said he believed they were stealing “drip line” from the Chumash property. The deputy noticed two large rolls of black drip line inside the vehicle and the suspect, 49, of Santa Ynez, claimed he got it from his cousin in Bakersfield. Asked why he’d stopped in the area, the man said he was tired and couldn’t make it the last 4 miles to his residence. The Chumash employee determined the drip line was property of the casino and valued at $2,000. The man was arrested and his vehicle was towed to a nearby commercial lot.
June 10
Fall guy
At 1:56 a.m. deputies responded to the 3000 block of Sagunto on a report of a male subject with a head injury. They learned that the man, 35, of Pismo Beach had fallen out of a taxi cab. The cab driver said the man entered his vehicle but said he could not pay the fare. The driver told him to leave, and the man fell and hit his face on the pavement, causing a laceration above his right eye, right cheek and chin. An ambulance responded but decided against transporting him to the hospital. The man was arrested for public intoxication and booked into Lompoc City Jail.
Cat nap
At 12:29 a.m. a deputy on routine patrol in the 3600 block of Sagunto Street saw a female, 20, of Santa Barbara lying on a sidewalk. When he parked his vehicle, the woman slowly got to her feet and staggered toward the Maverick Saloon. The deputy followed and found her sitting in the parking lot outside the entrance. The woman told him she’d been at the bar with her boyfriend and slurred that she’d only consumed one drink inside. The deputy asked her to recite the alphabet and she stopped at ‘p’ and stated, “Well, you know the rest.” Maverick security informed him that the woman and her boyfriend had been removed from the bar and the boyfriend left the area. She stayed behind and had attempted to enter several times. The woman was booked into Lompoc City Jail.
Blew her chance
At 9:50 p.m. a deputy driving eastbound on Highway 154 saw a vehicle stopped on the south side and a female near the shoulder, 50 feet from the vehicle, its hazard lights flashing. He approached the woman and noticed she was swaying, had watery and bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and smelled of alcohol. The man in the vehicle said he was her designated driver and that she was extremely drunk. He said she’d been drinking with friends at different establishments in the Valley and became belligerent as he drove her home. While on Highway 154 near Roblar Avenue, she threatened to jump out of his vehicle and then grabbed the steering wheel, causing him to momentarily lose control of his vehicle. After regaining control, he pulled over and she got out and refused to return to the vehicle. The deputy offered to let the man take her home. She agreed but stumbled toward the car and then began yelling obscenities at the man and the deputy. The deputy attempted to handcuff her. She pulled away and fell to the ground. He handcuffed the woman and as he searched her purse, he saw her slip out of them. He handcuffed her again and drove her to county jail. He noted she was crying, yelling, laughing and screaming vulgar names on the way to jail.
Fall from grace
At 8:20 p.m. a deputy on patrol on Alisal Road in Solvang saw a man staggering on the sidewalk. The man turned in the direction of the patrol car, fell over and got snagged to a low fence. He lifted himself off. A shopkeeper informed the deputy that he’d kicked the man out of his business because he was disturbing other customers. The deputy approached the man, who again fell into a bush bordering the sidewalk. The man slurred his first name and said he had graduated from Refugio Continuation High School and had celebrated by consuming two 32-ounce beers and was walking to a friend’s home. The deputy searched him and found two prescription pills for a drug that treats attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. He arrested the man and booked him into Lompoc City Jail.
June 12
Suspicious circumstances
At 4:50 p.m. an informant called the Sheriff’s office to report suspicious activity near a restaurant in the 1200 block of E. Betteravia Road in Santa Maria. The drivers of two vehicles – a Lincoln town car and a green Infinity – were seen exchanging duffle bags and exchanging licensing plates. A deputy spotted the Lincoln on southbound Highway 101 and followed it onto Highway 154 before it stopped on Steel Street. The deputy approached and instructed the passenger, 25, of Santa Maria to roll down his window. The driver, 29, of Santa Maria left the vehicle. She reluctantly returned but then began rolling down a passenger-side window in the rear, where a pit bull was barking. The deputy ordered the woman to roll up the window, but she didn’t comply. The deputy drew his firearm at the dog, and she rolled it back up after he gave her another stern order. Other deputies arrived on the scene and detained the two. The woman’s license had been suspended and the man, her boyfriend, had a misdemeanor warrant out of Santa Cruz County and was on probation out of Los Angeles County for a marijuana offense. The woman said she’d met a friend at a restaurant who helped her tighten her loose plate. She claimed she was not aware of her suspended license and denied exchanging bags or license plates. The man told the deputy there were 2 grams of marijuana inside the car. He admitted to selling narcotics but denied any transaction took place at the restaurant. Santa Barbara Animal Control responded and removed the pit bull. The deputy searched the vehicle and found fresh marijuana and a used methamphetamine pipe. The man said they belonged to him. The two were cited and released, and the vehicle was towed to a nearby commercial lot.
June 13
Out of gas
A diesel truck driver called authorities after someone siphoned nearly 135 gallons of fuel from his truck. The victim said he had parked his semi-truck on McMurray Road at 3:30 a.m. the day before and returned to his truck the next morning to find that his fuel gauge indicated his tank was nearly empty – despite his filling up his tank the day before. He checked the fuel tank and attempted to drive his vehicle to a gas station on Avenue of Flags to refuel. He reported the theft for reimbursement from his employer. The case was suspended, pending leads.
Man in black
Deputies responded to an alarm at a market in Los Olivos. Upon arrival, they saw the glass panel of the rear door had been smashed. The store owner arrived and let them in. Deputies noted cigarette cartons knocked onto the floor and liquor missing from a shelf. They found no footprints, but they located an empty cigarette carton with a partial shoeprint on it. Video surveillance showed a man in all black with a backpack approach the business on foot. He was carrying a paver and broke out the glass panel and spent two minutes inside, placing merchandise in his backpack before leaving through the rear door east of Jonata Street. The victim had no suspect information. He determined the man made off with 15 cartons of cigarettes and two bottles of Jägermeister.
Thief in the night
A man with an office on Alisal Road reported a burglary. He told deputies he closed the previous afternoon and locked the business. The next morning, he received a call from a maintenance worker who advised him the window to his door was smashed and the door was ajar. The thief stole his laptop, a notebook and a calculator. The man, who’d just moved into the office space, had no idea who might have been involved with the burglary. The case was suspended, pending leads.