March 3
No butts about it
A 43-year-old woman driving through Solvang was stopped after she flicked the ash from her cigarette out of her car window. When deputies approached her car, they could smell a strong odor of marijuana and asked the woman if she had the drug. The woman said she did, but told deputies she also had a medical marijuana ID card. Deputies searched her car and found two containers of marijuana, along with other prescription drugs and paraphernalia. When they asked the woman for her prescription ID, she could not provide it and said it was at home. Deputies arrested the woman and she was booked into jail.
Thousands stolen from trailer
Two trailers were broken into in Solvang. Burglars took more than $5,000 dollars worth of landscaping tools from the trailers. A deputy who investigated the break-in said an unknown tool was used to pry the locks off the back of the trailers. Because of the rainy weather, fingerprints could not be found, but the wet ground did lead the deputy to fresh shoeprints. The owner of the trailers said this was the third time they had been broken into in the past two years.
Suspended driver doesn’t have proof
Broken license plate lights led deputies to a 52-year-old driver with a suspended license. The driver told deputies that his license had been suspended twice because of child-support issues. He also told deputies that he had a notice from the DMV that his license had been reinstated. When deputies asked to see the notice, the man told them he didn’t have it with him. He was cited for driving on a suspended license, and his car was impounded for 30 days.
Suspended license
A 41-year-old driver in Solvang was stopped because of a cracked taillight. When he gave deputies his license, he told them it had been suspended over five months ago. He also told deputies that the car he was driving was not his, and he did not know if the owner knew that his license had been suspended. Deputies cited the man for driving on a suspended license, and the car was impounded for 30 days.
March 2
At least he’s honest
A towing hitch was blocking a 34-year-old driver’s license plate. The deputy who stopped the man said he could smell marijuana when the man rolled his window down. The deputy asked the man if he was in possession of the drug and if he had a doctor’s recommendation. The man took a pipe with less than 1 ounce of marijuana out of his pocket and told the deputy that he did not have a medical ID card or a doctor’s recommendation. The man was cited and released for possessing less than an ounce of marijuana.
Unlicensed driver
A 23-year-old driver did not have his headlights turned on in the daytime headlight section of Highway 154. Deputies stopped the driver who told them he had never received a California driver’s license even though he had been living in the area for over five years. He was cited for unlicensed driving and his car was impounded for 30 days.
The not-so-good Samaritan
Deputies stopped a 35-year-old driver in Solvang when he didn’t come to a complete stop while making a right turn at a stop sign. The driver handed the deputies an expired driver’s license and said that he knew he should not be driving but he was trying to help a friend get to work. The man was cited for unlicensed driving and released at the scene.
The burden of proof
A 25-year-old driver made an illegal U-turn in Solvang. A deputy stopped the car and asked to see the driver’s license. The man said he had lived in California for more than a year and had just gone to the DMV to get his license. A records check did not turn up any evidence that the man had applied for a license and the man could not provide any paperwork proving his application. When deputies searched the car they found a bottle of Xanax, which is a controlled substance. The driver said the prescription drug belonged to him, but the label was torn off the bottle and he was not carrying a prescription. The driver was cited for making an illegal U-turn, driving without a license and possessing a controlled substance. His passenger was allowed to drive the vehicle away.
March 1
Wrong number
Deputies found a man who appeared to be intoxicated, sitting on a bench in front of the Chumash Casino. Deputies attempted to find out where the man lived or if he had relatives or friends who could take care of him. The man was so intoxicated, he could only tell deputies that his birthday was in 1947 and kept giving them his ZIP code instead of his phone number. Deputies asked the man if he had been drinking and he told them he had about a “pint” of tequila. The man was taken to Lompoc jail and cited for public intoxication.
Feb. 28
‘Don’t taze me, bro’
Deputies were called to the Chumash Casino on a report of a drunken man causing problems for Chumash security staff. When deputies arrived they found the man handcuffed to a bench outside the casino. The man told deputies that the security guards had cuffed them to the bench for no reason. He also claimed that he had been “Tazed.” The guards however, said the man had lunged at him after being escorted from the casino. Deputies took the man into custody and cited him for trespassing and disorderly conduct.
‘In the hands of the law’
Deputies spoke with a man who appeared intoxicated in the parking lot of Mission Santa Inez. He told deputies that he was locking his car and getting a ride from a taxi cab. While they were talking to the man, a cab pulled up and he was allowed to leave. Later the cab driver called the Sheriff’s Department to report that the man asked to be dropped off near his car. One of the deputies who had spoken to the man was on patrol when he saw the man’s car driving down the road. The deputy attempted to pull the car over, but the man stopped in the middle of the road. Deputies had the man exit his car and began conducting a DUI investigation. When they asked the man if he knew where he was he said, “In the hands of the law.” When asked how much he had to drink, his reply was “too much to be driving.” A breath test showed the man was over the legal limit. The deputy also found a handgun stored illegally in the center console of the car. The man was cited and booked into Lompoc Jail.
Chumash take down
Chumash security staff spotted a parolee at large they had been told to be on the lookout for. They contacted the Sheriff’s Department who sent a deputy to investigate. The casino showed the deputy surveillance footage of the suspect along with digital photos of him provided by the Lompoc Police Department. After confirming that the man was the person Lompoc police were looking for the deputy arrested him.
A little slow
Deputies followed a 44-year-old driver in Solvang who was speeding. When the driver swerved across both the yellow and the white lines, deputies pulled him over. When they asked him for his license and registration, he quickly gave them his license but stared at the registration his wife retrieved from the glove box until she told him to give it to deputies. They suspected the man might be drunk, so they had him exit the vehicle and conduct a breath test. The test showed the man was well over the legal limit to drive and deputies issued a DUI citation. The car was released to the man’s friend who drove him home.
Feb. 27
No ID leads to a night in jail
A 21-year-old man was stopped in Santa Ynez because one of his taillights was burnt out. The driver could not provide deputies with any form of identification and told them he had never been issued a California driver’s license. Because he did not have ID the man was booked into Lompoc Jail for unlicensed driving and his car was towed.
Purse snatcher
Someone broke into the kitchen of the Solvang Veterans Memorial Hall and stole from several women’s purses during a Quinceanera. The thief had gone through the purses that were left in the kitchen. Missing items included cash, cell phones, music players and ID cards. The case was suspended pending leads.
Double play
A deputy pulled over a 38-year-old driver in Santa Ynez because the driver did not stop for a stop sign and had a broken license plate light. The man said he did not have a California Driver’s license and handed the deputy a Mexican ID card. A records check showed the man had an outstanding warrant for his arrest. The man was booked into jail and also issued a citation for unlicensed driving.
Same old story
A 43-year-old driver was stopped in Santa Ynez after he rolled through a stop sign. The man told deputies that he did not have a valid driver’s license. A records check confirmed the man was an unlicensed driver. He was cited and his car was impounded for 30 days.
Feb. 26
Impersonator
Deputies responded to a call of a disoriented elderly woman wandering around a parking lot. When they arrived, staff from one of the businesses nearby had taken the woman inside their office. Soon a deputy found the woman’s caregiver, who said she had an appointment in the office and was checking on the woman but said she must have slipped away when she wasn’t looking. When deputies asked the woman for her name, she gave them a false one and said she didn’t have ID. The woman’s plan backfired when deputies checked her false name and found someone with the same name had a warrant out for their arrest. A deputy found out the woman was lying when she didn’t have a tattoo, as police records for her assumed identity had indicated. The woman then admitted to using someone else’s name and gave deputies her real ID. She was cited and released. Later in the day, the elderly woman’s daughter called the Sheriff’s Department to find out what had happened. Deputies learned that she had known the caretaker for two years but only knew her assumed name. The daughter said she would be finding another caretaker for her mother and the case was forwarded to the DA as an impersonation case.
On wild night
Deputies stopped to investigate a truck pulled off to the side of the road in Santa Ynez. When deputies walked up to the truck they saw two men and two women, one of whom was pregnant. The people near the truck showed signs of using methamphetamine so deputies asked if they could search the truck. In their search, deputies found illegal fireworks, a switchblade and a stolen credit card. When deputies checked IDs they found one of the men had an outstanding warrant. The man was arrested by one of the deputies and booked into jail. They also found various illegal drugs, including meth and prescription drugs hidden in the truck, and in the passengers’ clothes. One man even attempted to hide drugs in his knee brace. As the truck was being searched, a car accident happened nearby and deputies had to delay the investigation in order to help an injured person. When they returned, the pregnant woman was complaining of pain and paramedics were called to help. When the woman arrived at the hospital, a doctor conducting a pelvic exam discovered another vial of meth and cocaine. Both the woman and the man she was with were booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on various charges.
Feb. 24
Uppers and downers
A 40-year-old driver was stopped along Highway 246 because his front license plate was dangling from his bumper. When deputies spoke with the man, they believed he was under the influence of a controlled substance. A sobriety check further assured them the man was using a combination of depressants and stimulants. The man said he only used marijuana, which he had a prescription for and consented to a urine test. The test was positive for marijuana but also showed a cocktail of other drugs in his system. The man was cited and released.
Feb. 23
Bad reputation
A deputy recognized the 37-year-old driver of a car approaching him from the opposite direction, as a man who he had previously cited for unlicensed driving. When he stopped him, the driver said he knew it was illegal to drive without a license but needed to get to work. The driver also said he had been cited for unlicensed driving at least four other times. When deputies spoke with his passenger, that man handed them a fake California driver’s license. When deputies looked at the license, they noticed the lettering on the ID looked like it was done with a typewriter and there was no state seal on the card. The man with the fake ID was taken into custody and later released on his promises to appear. The driver of the car was cited and his car was impounded for 30 days.