Santa Barbara Crime Blotter, 2/19 – 2/25
Man Punches Girlfriend After Losing Dice Game; Drunk Woman Mistakes Police Cruiser for Taxi Cab
2/20; 1:20 a.m.; 15 West Ortega Street: A woman attempted to enter a marked police vehicle believing that it was a taxicab. When a security guard tried to help her, she began shouting racial slurs. The woman was arrested for public intoxication.
2/21; 9:21 p.m.; 1816 State Street: Nearly 95 grams of methamphetamine and 41.1 grams of “black tar” heroin were seized as a result of a surveillance operation conducted by SBPD’s Criminal Impact Team. Police were watching a hotel room at the Fiesta Inn for suspected drug activity. The officers witnessed a wanted felon entering the room. The room was registered to a woman whose probation was subject to full search and seizure terms. As a result, officers were able to legally enter the room using a swipe key. According to the report, when police opened the door they saw the wanted felon closing and locking the bathroom door. An officer kicked down the bathroom door and witnessed the felon with his “arm hanging from the window.” The methamphetamine and heroin were found in bags outside the bathroom window. Police also found drug paraphernalia inside the hotel room.
2/22; 8:28 a.m.; 1835 Cliff Drive: Police responded to a report of domestic violence. Upon arrival, they contacted a woman who “appeared to have a broken jaw.” The woman claimed that, on the previous night, her boyfriend had punched her in the face “because he got upset over losing a dice game the two were playing.”
2/22; 8:25 p.m.; 1900 Lasuen Road: Police tracked down a Dodge pickup truck that was involved in a hit-and-run on Prospect Road earlier in the night. According to the report, the truck had “fresh damage” and was stopped on the side of the road. The driver was eventually charged with hit-and-run, DUI, and driving without a license.
2/24; 3:26 a.m.; Stanley/Las Positas streets: A patrol officer conducted a traffic stop of a suspicious vehicle. During a vehicle search, the officer found a capped hypodermic needle and three different license plates. One of the license plates, found in the trunk, matched the VIN number on the car, which had been reported stolen.
2/24; 12:40 p.m.; Anacapa/Cabrillo streets: Police responded to a witness report of a hit-and-run. The witness claimed that a vehicle “made a left and collided with a pedestrian, and made no attempt to stop, in fact it immediately sped up.” Another witness followed the vehicle in his car and persuaded the driver to return to the scene. Police then conducted a DUI investigation and determined that the hit-and-run driver was also intoxicated.
