Goleta fire result

of incense ashes

The fire that took place on Feb. 12 on the 4500 block of Auhay Drive in Goleta has been ruled to be the cause of incense ashes igniting a fire after being thrown into a trash can that contained discarded paper. The fire, which caused extensive damage and displaced the family, was reported at 4:32 p.m. There was no working smoke detector in the home, but the smoke detector from a neighboring residence went off because it was exposed to some of the smoke from the fire. No injuries were reported, but the fire department said that if the resident had been asleep or in another part of the house, a serious injury or fatality could have occurred.

The fire department warns residents to make sure smoke alarms are working and urges that they be tested on a regular basis.

 

Suspected burglars arrested

Santa Barbra Police Department officers arrested two men Feb. 14, one for being in possession of stolen property and marijuana, the other for violating his parole, after police received a report that two suspects broke into a home and stole seven pairs of Oakley sunglasses and a specialized mountain bike. While writing a report, a police officer spotted two individuals who matched the description of the suspects believed to be involved in the burglary. One of the suspects had six pairs of Oakley sunglasses in his possession. The sunglasses still had price tags on them.

Police also arrested another suspected burglar Feb. 13, after they received reports that a man in a white utility vehicle stole a blue iPod and docking station from a vehicle near Cottage Hospital. A few minutes after the first burglary, another car burglary was reported and a witness was able to provide police with the license plate of the white van. After finding the white van that matched the description and plate number provided to police, officers contacted a 23-year-old male and found the stolen iPod and docking station.

 

Man arrested for attempted murder

Police arrested Tomas Obispo Morales, 23, for attempted murder Feb.12 after learning that his DNA matched blood found at a 13-month-old crime scene. On Dec. 23, 2006, police received a report that a man had broken into the hotel room of a married couple and stabbed the man several times in his stomach. According to police reports, the female victim awoke to Morales standing over her; when she tried to alert her husband, Morales then put his hand over her mouth. The male victim woke up and saw that his wife was being assaulted and he began to fight with Morales. In the fight, Morales reportedly stabbed the man several times, causing serious injury.

Morales then fled the scene when the female victim turned on a light. He left a trail of blood, which officers sent to the state Department of Justice for a Combined DNA Index System check. Because Morales is a registered sex offender, authorities already had a sample to match the one found at the 2006 crime scene.

Morales was arrested without incident and charged with attempted murder and burglary of an inhabited residence.

 

Student dies in

Oxnard School shooting

A student shot another student at E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard Feb. 12. The shooting took place in front of two dozen other students. The 15-year-old victim, Lawrence King, initially was placed in critical condition at St. John’s Regional Medical Center the day of the shooting and reportedly was improving, but on Feb. 13 he was declared brain dead. The alleged shooter was taken into custody minutes after the shooting by Oxnard and Port Hueneme police officers and is being charged with first-degree murder.

According to witnesses, the two boys argued during lunchtime about the sexual orientation of the victim, who was thought to be gay. The juvenile suspect allegedly threatened the victim by telling him to “watch his back.”

Authorities are uncertain how the gun was sneaked onto campus, but school officials said they were shocked at the incident. The school increased security and added more police officers after the shooting.

 

Rep. Elton Gallegly to run again

California’s Republican U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly of Simi Valley filed to run for re-election for the 24th Congressional District, which includes parts of Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties.