Law and Disorder 11-13

On the morning of 11/6, 56-year-old Gregory Allen Pitts leapt to his death from Cold Spring Bridge, making him the fourth person this year to commit suicide by jumping from the landmark structure. The incident has reinvigorated the already boisterous talks about Caltrans’s proposed suicide barrier, which is still opposed by those who say the addition would mar the bridge’s views and architectural beauty. (/suicide1113)

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A single-car crash late on 11/4 killed two men -only one of whom, 21-year-old Santa Barbara resident Felix Alejandro Ortiz-Cazaldilla, has been identified-and hospitalized a third, 21-year-old Alejandro Valdez. A 35-year-old man who died in the accident has not yet been identified because his family lives in Mexico. CHP investigators allege alcohol was a factor in the fatal collision, which caused the car to skid off Highway 101 and flip onto North Jameson Lane. (/accident1113)

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The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department is seeking the public’s help in finding Jim Earl Mitchell, a 63-year-old Carpinteria man who vanished on 10/5. Neighbors told investigators that Mitchell had been acting “out of the ordinary” prior to his disappearance from his home on the 2700 block of Torito Road. Those with information about the man should call 692-5743. The public is advised not to approach him as he may be despondent and a danger to himself. (/missing1113)

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A white man in his thirties on 11/7 walked into a publishing business on the 5900 block of Encina Road in Goleta and attempted to rob the office at gunpoint. When employees told him they didn’t have the large sum of money he was demanding, he robbed the employees themselves, taking cash and a wedding ring. Sheriff’s deputies were unable to find the man after he fled the scene. Anyone with information is urged to call 681-4150. (robbery1113)

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Sheriff’s deputies are investigating an 11/2 fight in Goleta that resulted in a man being stabbed in the neck. A 31-year-old Santa Barbara man, Seth Hernandez, has been arrested in connection with the stabbing. Hernandez was also taken to Cottage Hospital for treatment of injuries he sustained in the altercation, which occurred around 2:45 a.m. at a residence on the 600 block of Windsor Avenue. (/goletastab)