Sept. 16
ID thief set to return to Mexico
Deputies stopped a pair of cars in Solvang because the drivers did not stop for a school bus dropping off children. One driver was released with a warning, but the other did not have a valid driver’s license or proof of insurance. A records check showed that driver’s license was suspended for failure to appear for a prior driving violation. Deputies cited the man for driving without a license and towed his car. But when deputies did a thorough inventory of the car, they found two forged California driver’s licenses. They tracked down the man, who was still nearby, and asked to search his bag. Inside, they found more forged IDs and credit cards. The man said he had taken the name of his former stepfather because he was in the country illegally and could not get his license renewed. Deputies also found a forged passport and learned that the man had previously been deported. He was placed under arrest and booked into jail on various charges.
Sept. 13
Caught white-handed
Because a man in Santa Ynez did not signal when he made several turns, deputies pulled him over. The man told deputies that his license had been suspended and that he did not have current insurance for his truck. Deputies also noticed the man was nervous, shifting in his seat and grabbing things that were near him. They asked him to step out of the car and clasp his hands behind his back. The man did step out of the car but kept his fist clenched and appeared to be hiding something. Deputies asked the man to open his hands repeatedly but he would not listen. They spotted a small white bag in the man’s hand that appeared to be drugs. The man was trying to rip the bag open, so deputies moved the man to the ground. On his way down, the man dropped the bag. The contents of the bag tested positive for meth. He was booked into jail and treated for scrapes to his face, sustained when he was placed on the ground.
Sept. 12
Suspicious tackle
A semi-professional football game at the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School got a little bloody. During a play, something sliced open the arm of one of the players. The player went to the sidelines and showed the coach his injury; he told the coach that he suspected the other team was using razorblades or other sharp objects to slash his teammates. The referee stopped the game and examined the players. No other injuries were found on the player’s teammates and no sharp objects were found among the opponent. The man told deputies that the injury could have been sustained during regular play but, he said, he had played football for many years and never had an injury like this. Later, the man told deputies once he returned to his house, he found another slash on his back. The information was taken down as an incident report.
Sept. 11
Heckler
Deputies were called to a theater in Solvang because of a man disturbing the performers during a play. The man continued to make loud outburst during the play and was asked by the director to leave. When he did not, deputies were called; the man looked at the deputies but continued to shout. Deputies asked the man to come with them, but he reached into his pocket. Deputies grabbed him and took him outside. They said the man smelled strongly of alcohol.
Lifelong ban doesn’t stop woman from gambling
A woman at the Chumash Casino, who was banned for life because she stole a purse, was back for more. The woman was spotted by Chumash security, who called for a deputy’s assistance. When deputies arrived, they told the woman she had been banned and cited her for trespassing. The woman was released to her daughter and escorted off the property.
Sept. 10
Overheated and unlicensed
A woman driving in front of a deputy quickly pulled over to the side of a road and the deputy pulled in behind her. The woman said that her car had overheated. The deputy asked for her driver’s license, but the woman replied that her license had been suspended because she didn’t go to court for a ticket. The woman was cited for driving on a suspended license and her car was towed.
U-turn leads to towing
A driver in Solvang made an unsafe U-turn and was pulled over by a deputy. The driver of the car said he was lost and admitted to making the U-turn. The deputy noticed that the registration tags on the vehicle were expired. A passenger in the car said that the car had recently been “smogged” and registered. She handed deputies the registration paperwork and told them she had previously been cited for fraudulent registration. The woman said she had mistakenly placed registration tags from another of her cars onto that car. The woman also said she left the tags on her car because she didn’t know she was required to take them off. The driver was cited for making an unsafe U-turn and fraudulent registration. The car was towed.
Sept. 9
Chair theft
A teacher at a school in Santa Ynez called the Sheriff’s Department to report a missing chair. Someone had broken into a garden area at the school and taken an unfinished wood chair. They had also broken a wooden fence in the garden area. The damage was estimated at less than $100.
Poor sense of time
A woman was stopped in Santa Ynez because of an irregular windshield. The woman told deputies that her license had expired recently. After a records check, deputies informed her that her license had actually expired more than a year ago. The woman was cited for unlicensed driving, and the car was turned over to her boyfriend.
Sept. 6
Suspicious ID
Deputies stopped a man in Santa Ynez because his taillight was burnt out. The man told deputies that he did not have a driver’s licenses and handed them a Mexican license that listed his hometown as Santa Maria. The man told deputies that he knew it was illegal to drive without a license and said he had been cited before in Santa Maria. Because he gave them a Mexican license with a California city listed as his hometown, deputies decided it was not enough evidence to identify the man. He was arrested and booked into jail.