A Santa Barbara police sergeant confronts Rudy Vaughn Sanchez
Paul Wellman

Police arrested Rudy Vaughn Sanchez at the Santa Barbara Bowl after he and his friends used poorly counterfeited $100 bills to buy beer. He was booked in County Jail on a felony charge with bail set at $20,000, and his arraignment is scheduled for September 18.

According to SBPD spokesperson Sgt. Riley Harwood, Bowl concessionaires working the lines at the Rebelution show on August 15 were put on alert after receiving a few of the fake bills. Harwood described the counterfeits, which had been made on a color copier, as “not highly sophisticated.” When one of the concessionaires received another fake a short time later, they notified Bowl security.

Members of Sanchez’s group tried to push their way past security and off Bowl grounds, but were soon contacted by police. One of the subjects ran south on Milpas Street and was able to escape. Sanchez, his female companion, and another male subject were questioned, Harwood said. The male subject was let go, but Sanchez was arrested and his female companion booked into the city’s sobering center for public intoxication. Sanchez lists Tuscon, Arizona, as his home address, but is well known to Santa Barbara police, Harwood said.

Counterfeit arrests are made a few times a year, Harwood explained. They remain local cases unless the fake bills were used in multiple cities. In those instances, local authorities will coordinate with federal officials, but in this case, prosecution will likely remain in Santa Barbara courts, Harwood said.

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