Law and Disorder 6-19
Nearly five months after a Santa Barbara jury found her guilty of a misdemeanor charge of obstructing a police officer as a result of a scuffle outside Cooney’s Bar in June 2006, Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge Brian Hill on 6/12 sentenced Asaye Allah to a $250 fine. Hill stressed that he felt Allah should not serve jail time. And Deputy District Attorney Paula Waldman said Meron Meshesha, who was tried with Allah on the same charges but whose jury could not agree on a verdict, will not be retried. How these outcomes will affect a pending civil suit filed by the two women against the Santa Barbara Police remains to be seen. (/cooneys619)
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What began as a 911 call from a woman who identified herself as a kidnapping victim who had been severely beaten by her captor ultimately ended in the arrest of Santa Barbara resident Gregory Patchett Jr. on 6/11 on charges of kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon. Patchett, the woman’s son, fled police and led them on a car chase through Montecito and Summerland, then briefly barricaded himself in a Tallant Drive home before giving himself up to sheriff’s deputies. (/kidnapping619)
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Santa Barbara sheriff’s detectives allege that Albert Moreno, 33, assaulted Jose Luis Mora Ramirez on 6/11 and left him for dead in the unincorporated area of Goleta. Ramirez was found in the roadway near Calle Real and Farren Road at 7:23 a.m., where he was suffering from a severe head trauma. He had a faint pulse and was rushed to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, where he is currently in a coma. After investigating, deputies identified Moreno as the lone suspect in the assault. Moreno was booked into county jail.
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A head-on collision on Highway 154 east of San Marcos Road killed one driver on the afternoon of 6/15. A Buick traveling westbound drifted into the eastbound lane and struck two vehicles, a Mercedes and a Cadillac. The driver of the Buick, 47-year-old Gary Martin, was pronounced dead upon arrival at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. Investigators say alcohol may have been involved in the crash.
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Sentencing of accused will forger Edward Blomfield on 6/17 was postponed until the finalization of all restitution to the family of Beverly Graham, Blomfield’s deceased girlfriend. Blomfield was indicted after producing a will he claimed Graham had signed that gave him control of her estate, estimated between $600,000 and $750,000. Graham was murdered by Jennifer Sanmarco, who killed six more people at a Goleta mail processing plant in 2006. (/blomfield)
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A Santa Barbara Police investigation into a body found near Thornbury Park-an undeveloped area between the Mesa and TV Hill that is next to Honda Valley Park-has ended with officers ruling that the cause of death was suicide by a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The name of the deceased had not been released as of press time.
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Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge William McLafferty called an Order to Show Cause hearing on 6/11 regarding 19 citizens who failed to respond to a jury summons. Fourteen of the truant jurors were issued fines ranging from $200 to $350 and an order to report to jury duty within the next 30 days. Such hearings will now take place twice a month in order to crack down on the juror truancy. (/truantjurors)
