Police blotter — December 8

By DAILY SOUND STAFF — Dec. 8, 2009

Dec. 3, 8:40 p.m. — Reports of a possible heroin overdose brought police to an apartment complex, where they discovered the 19-year-old man was walking and talking. The suspect was taken to the hospital for treatment and officers remained behind to talk with witnesses.

One man said he had entered the apartment and saw the 19-year-old passed out on the couch and not breathing. Police noted a hypodermic needle containing a dark substance was on the coffee table.

When officers caught up with the suspect at the hospital, he openly admitted the substance was heroin and that he had injected several grams into his arm. Authorities booked the teenager for possession of a controlled substance and being under the influence of a controlled substance. Bail was set at $10,000.

Dec. 4, 2 a.m. — A domestic disturbance brought police to a home in the 1800 block of San Andres Street, where they spoke with the victim. He said his girlfriend of a year had caught him kissing another girl at a bar earlier that evening.

When the couple returned home, an argument ensued. The boyfriend attempted to apologize, but his girlfriend was too upset and attacked him, scratching his face with her fingernails.

The woman inflicted 15 distinct gouges that drew blood on the victim’s face. She denied the attack when questioned by police, but had dried blood under all of her fingernails. Authorities booked her for domestic battery. Bail was set at $25,000.

Dec. 4, 3 p.m. — Security personnel at Sears, 3845 State St., called police to report a petty theft suspect in custody. Officers reviewed surveillance footage, which showed the suspect pick up a portable DVD player, place it under his jacket and leave the store.

The 43-year-old suspect admitted to stealing the electronic device. Police determined the man had been convicted of grand theft in the past and served time in jail. Authorities also found 9.2 grams of marijuana in the man’s backpack with no evidence of a medical recommendation.

Police booked the 43-year-old for theft with priors and possession of marijuana. Bail was set at $20,000.

Dec. 4, 5:45 p.m. — While patrolling Bohnett Park, an officer approached a walkway and spotted a man seated on a bench drinking what appeared to be alcohol. The man stood up and noticed the officer, who told him to sit back down.

The 23-year-old ran east instead, directly into the path of the officer’s two partners. A search of the suspect turned up a baggie of cocaine and a medication container with marijuana. Authorities booked the man for possession of marijuana, possession of cocaine and resisting arrest. Bail was set at $10,000.

Dec. 5, 2 a.m. — As officers conducted a premise check at La Rumba, 3435 State St., a large fight broke out. Although numerous subjects were fighting, one woman in particular caught the attention of police because she appeared the most aggressive.

The 28-year-old was seated on top of another woman on the ground, hitting her. Security and officers attempted to break up the brawl, but nobody responded to orders to stop fighting.

An officer eventually deployed a Taser on the 28-year-old woman and all fighting stopped. After discovering the woman was on parole, authorities booked her without bail for disturbing the peace and violating her parole.

Dec. 6, 1 p.m. — Authorities received reports of a disturbance at Casa Esperanza, 816 Cacique St., and arrived to discover a 30-year-old woman was cursing and refusing to leave the shelter. When staff member threatened to call police, the suspect spit on her face.

The 30-year-old told officers she didn’t like being told what to do. Police initially issued her a citation and asked her to leave, but the suspect refused. She said she had nowhere to go and told officers to take her to jail. Authorities complied, booking her for battery and trespassing. Bail was set at $2,500.

Dec. 6, 1:10 p.m. — While handling the incident described above in the 800 block of Cacique Street, an officer spotted a man in possession of what appeared to be a 40-ounce beer bottle. Roughly 10 minutes later, the officer completed the prior call and found the 50-year-old man.

He no longer had a bottle but displayed symptoms of intoxication, including bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, poor balance and an odor of alcohol. While searching the suspect, police found a large folding knife in his pocket.

The blade was locked in an open position and the officer suspected that the 50-year-old was carrying it for protection or aggression. Authorities booked him for public intoxication and possession of a dangerous weapon. Bail was set at $20,000.

Dec. 6, 8:02 p.m. — Responding to a burglary alarm at a business in the 2400 block of Bath Street, officers found two men who did not appear to be associated with the business wandering through the building.

When questioned, one of the suspects, a 26-year-old, said he was a member of a cleaning crew and had a key to the building in his pocket. Officers searched his pockets and turned up a wad of cash and a baggie of cocaine instead.

The other suspect, a 27-year-old, also had cocaine in his possession. Authorities eventually made contact with the supervisor of a cleaning company who confirmed that the 26-year-old was, in fact, an employee. The supervisor was not aware the other man, who was not an employee, had been at the business.

After determining nothing was missing or disturbed in the building, police booked the two men for possession of a controlled substance. Bail was set at $10,000.

Comment on this article

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Poster:

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: 12/8/2009

Heroin, coke, parolees gone wild in dive bars, and hobos with knives. That's the Santa Barbara we know and love.

Zerelda Mimms

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: 12/8/2009

You live one hundred miles from LA. It's time to wake up from you sleeply little world and see what is really going on.

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: 12/8/2009

I recently moved away from Santa Barbara because of the safety/crime/gang problems. I miss the good parts of Santa Barbara life terribly, but I can walk the streets in the evening with my kids now and we are safe doing so.

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: 12/8/2009

I grew up in Brooklyn, NY and Baltimore, MD. There is absolutely nothing going on in Santa Barbara to make me feel unsafe at anytime of day or night. Some of you are probably scared of your own shadows.

QED

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Cops Should Report All Incidences To Public Not A Select Few : 12/8/2009

December 3, at approximately 8 p.m.
two SBPD cars parked at a residence
near Sycamore Canyon between Coyote Road
and Barker Pass I wonder why the cops don't
have this on the blotter?

Sylvia R

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Reporting All Incidents / Go to B'more : 12/8/2009

Sylvia while that would be interesting to read it would be far too long. You'll have to find another way to snoop on your neighbors.
And agreed - laughable that someone is scared to walk around with their family in Santa Barbara. I come from the east - DC & Va and SB is like living in candy land.

baers

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test : 12/8/2009

test

test

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Police blotter — December 8 : 12/8/2009

Accept for the agressive homeless person trying to get a place to sleep, everyone else seems to have a drug or alcohol problem. It's interesting, even the name of the city has two bars in it- Santa Bar-Bar-ra- the land of a thousand bars!

allenhatch@yahoo.com

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home sweet home : 12/8/2009

I love Santa Barbara. It's my favorite part of L.A..

Xmesarat

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Fear of walking around. : 12/9/2009

Anyone who is afraid to walk around this city is a paranoid, insular fool. We do have petty small crime and occasional violence that effects usually only "gang members" but it is absolutely nothing compared to other cities. I am not minimizing the problems we do have but if you live in fear of Santa Barbara you are a jelly fish.

SV

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living in fear : 12/9/2009

I am sure that the "jelly fish" who is paranoid of santa barbara straps his kids into his vehicle and speeds them down the freeways and highways all the time. Tell me, jelly fish, which is the true risk to be concerned about? Your fleeing of santa barbara in a paranoid frenzy reveals you to be a poor assessor of true risk.

George Mikus

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Too Funny : 12/9/2009

Ghetto Vaquero @ La Rumba: The most expensive dive bar in SB

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Her point... : 12/9/2009

I may be putting words into her/his mouth, but the point being is that Santa Barbara is NOT what it use to be... Mostly, in my opinion, due to the fact that the attitude these "transplants" from out of the area brought with them. To them (transplants from out of state/area), it is "candyland" cmpared to other cities... Well I don't care about where YOU came from. Santa Barbara HAS changed...From all the transient students at City College who don't give a rat's ass about our community to the increase in bums and panhandlers from all parts of the U.S., to all the gang and drug activity... Maybe it's the fact that out Police Dept has 40 less cops then ten years ago, or that it costs the City big money everytime they bring someone to the County Jail, so they don't do it as they should... State Street USED to be a destination, now it's an avoidance. Just look at all the empty retail spaces and the bums on the sidewalk begging for money and pissing against buildings- As a SB native, I would say there is a change here in the last 10 years.

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HOMELESS : 12/9/2009

She said she had nowhere to go and told officers to take her to jail. Authorities complied <----THIS IS STUPID JUST ANOTHER HOMELESS USING OUR TAB TO GIVE HER SOMEWHERE TO SLEEP FOR THE NIGHT!! GET A JOB JUST LIKE THE REST OF US. PISSES ME OFF I WORK SO HARD HAVE HARDLY IF ANY MONEY LEFT OVER JUST TO GIVE MY SELF A HOME YET THESE LAZY DRUGIES SPEND THERE DAYS ON THE STREET ASKING FOR MONEY AND EXPECT PITY AT NIGHT(SORRY I DONT FEEL SORRY FOR YOU) CAUSE IM AM SURE THE PEOPLE THAT LEGITIMATELY NEED HELP ARE THERE NOT SPITING IN PEOPLES FACES...

SB LOCAL

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Bunch of whiners : 12/9/2009

Of course state st has changed in the last ten years. Everything changes. People don't avoid state st, it's packed even on a tuesday. Enough with the "good old days" crap because back in those days when YOU were young, the old people were complaining about THEIR "good old days". Circle of life dude.

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Long time resident : 12/11/2009

I am 64 years old and have lived in Santa Barbara since my parents moved me here when I was 10. With this disclosure, I absolutely stand by my previous post. To the poster who claimed we didn't get "her point", I have lived "her point" and it is ridiculous. There was crime then, there is crime now and there will be crime in the future. I would bet that the actual crime rate in the county has changed very little over the last 50 years. And please, don't mistake an increase in crimes committed with actual crime rate. If you don't know the difference, do your homework before you make a post.

George Mikus

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