Dec.16 • Out a brake light and license
Deputies stopped a man in Santa Ynez because his brake light was out. When deputies spoke with the man, he provided them with a Mexican driver’s license. The man said he has been living in California for four years and could not provide proof of insurance. He was cited for driving without a license and failing to provide proof of insurance.Dec. 15 • Drugs in car
Deputies responded to a report of two women taking drugs in their car. Deputies found the women parked at the New Frontier Market in Santa Ynez. Deputies asked the women if they had been taking drugs, and they said they had smoked Oxycontin. The suspects also said they had a prescription for the drug. Deputies arrested the women for public intoxication.Dec.10 • Woman violates parole
During a routine security check of the Chumash Casino, deputies stopped a woman who appeared to be lost. After checking her identification, they found she was on parole. Deputies thought the woman appeared to be under the influence of a controlled substance. She admitted to be around people smoking “crack,” but said she did not willingly smoke herself. Deputies noted that she had burns on her fingers consistent with smoking a “crack pipe.” She was booked into jail in Santa Barbara for violating her parole.Dec. 9 • The show must not go on
Deputies cited a street performer for playing music and selling CDs without a permit. The 67-year-old man was playing an electric guitar through an amplifier at the Solvang Farmers Market. When deputies told him he was in violation of a city ordinance, he became “very loud and aggressive,” according to deputies. He said he would go to the city and get a permit. Deputies followed him to the City of Solvang. A city employee there informed the man that the city did not have a permit that allowed amplified music, soliciting donations and selling goods. The man asked that the ticket be dismissed and said he wanted to file a complaint against the deputies for elder abuse. The ticket was not dismissed and deputies provided their badge numbers to the man.Dec. 6 • Casino trespassing
Security officers for the Chumash Casino detained a woman for trespassing. The woman had been permanently banned from the casino. She said she came because her friend was going and she was “embarrassed” to tell her friend she was banned. When deputies arrived, they issued her a citation for trespassing and told her if she returned to the casino she would be arrested.Police suspect man of hiding ID
Deputies noticed a car missing its front license plate in Santa Ynez. When deputies stopped the driver, he said he had a valid California driver’s license but had left it at home. A records check could not find a valid license. He contacted his “mother” who read deputies the license number. Deputies said the number returned an error message when they entered it into their system. Because the driver could not provide any other identification and deputies suspected he was trying to hide his identity, he was booked into jail in Lompoc.Dec. 5 • Unlicensed drivers in Solvang
Deputies spotted a Honda Civic in Solvang missing its license palate. When they stopped the car, the 24-year-old driver said he had had a California driver’s license. Deputies also noticed two open containers of alcohol in the center console of the car. The driver was cited for unlicensed driving and having an open container of alcohol in the car. In a separate incident, a driver in Solvang was arrested for driving without a license. He was stopped because his trailer hitch was obstructing his license plate. He could not provide deputies with any form of identification and was booked into jail in Lompoc.Dec. 4 • Burglar busted
Deputies made an arrest in a burglary at the Chumash Casino. They took a 40-year-old man into custody after he was identified by security tapes. The tapes show the man taking power tools from the casino and leaving in a Ford Falcon. When deputies interviewed the suspect, he was driving the same car and admitted to stealing the power tools.Twice failed driver’s test but still on road
A woman who failed her driver’s test twice was stopped by deputies because the front plate on her car was missing. Deputies asked to see the woman’s driver’s license. She provided them with an Arizona license. When asked how long she had lived in the area, the woman responded she had been in the area for more than six years. Deputies asked if she was going to get a California license. She said she had tried but failed the test twice. She was cited for unlicensed driving and her car was left at the scene.Blocked view leads to more citations
Deputies stopped a Toyota Camry for speeding and having a GPS system blocking the driver’s view. The driver told deputies that he did not have a valid California driver’s license. When deputies conducted a search of the car they found a bag containing less than one ounce of marijuana. The driver was cited for driving without a license and the passenger was cited for possession of marijuana. Both men were released and their car was towed.Dec. 2 • Rolling stop sign and no license
The 25-year-old driver of a Dodge pickup truck was stopped for rolling through a four-way-stop intersection. When deputies asked the driver if he knew why he was pulled over, he said it was because he did not stop at the intersection. When asked for a driver’s license, he provided deputies with a New Mexico license. Deputies asked the driver if he lived in the area and if he planned on getting a California license. He responded that he did live in the area but did not plan on getting a new license. Deputies cited the man for driving with an invalid license and the car was released to the registered owner.Walking under the influence
Deputies arrested a 40-year-old man in Buellton after they found him stumbling down Highway 246. When deputies asked the man how much he had to drink he responded “A tall boy of JOOSE and a half pint (of Vodka).” Deputies felt he was a danger to himself and others. He was booked into Santa Barbara Jail for public intoxication.Nov. 28 • Thieves make off with equipment
Nearly $15,000 worth of power tools and construction equipment went missing from a job site in Santa Ynez. When the property’s owner arrived on site, he found a construction office trailer with a window broken and a ladder placed below the window. The construction company working on the site stored computers and power tools in the office. They also stored tools in a container, on the raised forks of a forklift. The forks had been lowered and the lights and backup siren had been disabled on the forklift. Deputies found fingerprints and shoe impressions near the sight. They were able to follow the trail of shoes through a cut fence and onto a dirt road near Baseline Road. The investigation is ongoing and no suspects have been named.Nov. 25 • Yes, yet another unlicensed driver
Deputies stopped a driver with broken brake lights on Highway 246 near Santa Ynez. He provided them with an expired driver’s license. Deputies found his license had been suspended for failure to appear. He was cited for unlicensed driving.CALIFORNIA CRIME
Associated Press
Pet shop owners arrested
More than 80 puppies have been taken from a Solano County pet shop whose owners have been arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty. Authorities say Christopher Ellis and his wife, Leeanna Kamp, owners of California Pets & Supply in Dixon, were arrested Thursday after numerous customers complained that dogs they purchased from the pair had contagious diseases and died. The high-end puppies have been quarantined at the Solano County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, where president David Roth says they are all suffering from various illnesses. But the couple’s attorney, William Bernheim, says his clients have had the dogs seen regularly by veterinarians and done nothing wrong. The couple is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Solano County Superior Court.Men plead not guilty
Two Fresno men have entered not guilty pleas in the fatal shooting of a delivery truck driver who authorities say was shot for no apparent reason. Twenty-seven-year-old Joey Lopez is charged with murder in the Dec. 7 death of Richard Hernandez. Twenty-year-old Christopher Gonzalez faces charges of being an accessory after the killing and evading arrest. Both men entered their pleas Friday. Authorities say Lopez shot and killed Hernandez in an unprovoked attack while Hernandez was delivering beer to a Fresno convenience store. Lopez’s parents say their son has a history of mental illness and had been held briefly by police for a psychiatric evaluation just days before the shooting. Fresno police have not confirmed their account. Gonzalez’s attorney says his client knew nothing about the killing and committed no crimes.Teen sentenced for robberies
A 19-year-old has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for robbing two restaurants in Oakland. The crimes were part of a string of about nine restaurant robberies in the city during the spring and summer of 2008. Alameda County Superior Court Judge Morris Jacobson sentenced 19-year-old Laron Williams Friday after Williams pleaded guilty to robbing Red Boy Pizza and the Chinese restaurant Happy Garden. Four other defendants have been sentenced in the other robberies.One nabbed in murder plot
A Santa Monica man has been arrested for allegedly soliciting the murder of a former business partner following a bitter court fight. Authorities say 54-year-old Paul Harwood was arrested Wednesday at his apartment, after investigators served a search warrant and found evidence of the plot and a small amount of cocaine. Police declined to identify the intended victim. According to court documents, Harwood and a longtime friend were partners in a Fontana trucking business. The men had a falling out and Harwood was eventually fired. He claimed the company owed him at least $150,000, and had engaged in a campaign to smear his former partner.