January 28 • Hands full, wallet empty
Deputies spotted a 42-year-old woman talking on her cell phone while traveling through Solvang on Mission Street. When they stopped the woman, she provided deputies with a California driver’s license but it had expired. The woman was cited for unlicensed driving and talking on a cell phone without a hands-free device while driving.
January 27 • Sabotage in Solvang
A woman in Solvang was greeted by an unpleasant surprise when she went out to her car. The car had been covered by mustard, ketchup, dirt and rocks. She cleaned the car off, but the next morning when exiting her driveway, the back tires of the car popped. The woman said screws had been placed behind the tires, causing $20 in damage. The case was under investigation and there were no suspects.
Cracked windshield
A 37-year-old man driving on Meadowlark Road was stopped because his front windshield was cracked. When deputies spoke with him he could not provide a valid California driver’s license. The man said he had worked in California for more than eight years but had not gotten his license. He was citied for unlicensed driving and his car was towed.
January 26 • Solvang speeding
A driver speeding at almost 65 mph through Solvang caught deputies’ attention. They followed the car from Mission Santa Inez all the way to Skytt Mesa. When deputies stopped the car, the 27-year-old driver could not provide them with a valid California driver’s license. Deputies cited the man and released the car to his passenger, who was a licensed driver.
Missing both licenses
Deputies followed a 40-year-old man without a license plate into the Chumash Casino parking lot. When they stopped him he told deputies that he did not have a driver’s license. He also told them he had lived and worked in California for more than four years. He was cited for unlicensed driving and for the missing license plate.
‘Lazy’ driver gets a citation
A black pickup truck in Los Olivos was missing a rear break light. Deputies stopped the 24-year-old driver. She handed them an expired driver’s license and said she had been too “lazy” to have it renewed. She was cited for unlicensed driving and released.
Thief takes breath away
A thief tried to abscond with a wheelchair bound woman’s oxygen tank. Deputies were called to the Chumash Casino on a report of the missing tank. After reviewing security tapes they were able to trace the suspect to the casino’s parking garage. When they went to the garage, they noticed a man looking nervously at them. After they passed the man, he fled up a flight of stairs. With the help of the casinos surveillance team, they were able to catch up with the man. When deputies asked where the oxygen tank was he said he didn’t know. They told the man the victim needed the oxygen to breathe. He asked if he could go free if he told them where it was. Deputies said he first needed to show them the tank’s location and then they could talk about the consequences. The man led deputies to a trash can, where he had stashed the tank. He said he thought it was a purse and had stolen it. When they returned the tank to the victim, she decided to press charges. The man was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail for petty theft.
Tags expired, but pot fresh
Deputies stopped a car on Mission Drive after they noticed it had expired registration tags. When the driver rolled down the window, deputies thought they could smell marijuana coming from inside. The 37-year-old driver said she did not have marijuana but when pressed, showed deputies a small box in her purse containing less than one ounce of the drug. The woman was cited and released.
January 25 • Unlicensed driver
A 37-year-old woman with a burnt-out license plate light was stopped on Highway 246. When deputies spoke with the woman she said her license had been suspended in 2005. Deputies cited the woman for unlicensed driving and her car was impounded for 30 days.
7 nabbed in drug bust
Santa Barbara — Seven drug investigations led Sheriff’s Narcotics Detectives to arrest 23 people at locations throughout Santa Barbara County on virtually every day between Jan. 25-29. The most significant occurred in Summerland last Thursday, Jan. 28, when Narcotics Detectives seized over one pound of Methamphetamine and arrested three people. After a two-month long investigation, Narcotics detectives served a search warrant at suspected methamphetamine dealers’ residence in the 100 block of Hollister Street in Summerland. During the service of the search warrant, one of the suspects, Samantha Briscoe (DOB 6-23-81), was contacted inside the residence. The additional suspect, Alfonso Cano (9-13-62), fled out the back door and attempted to escape. He was ultimately arrested and provided deputies with false names.