Suspect Packing Serious Heat Arrested in Chumash Casino Parking Garage
Jacob Southard, 27, Booked on Weapons and Drug Charges
Santa Barbara Sheriff’s deputies arrested 27-year-old Jacob Southard on Tuesday after he was spotted unconscious in the Chumash Casino parking garage with drug paraphernalia in his lap.
When deputies searched Southard’s vehicle, they found a handgun, loaded high-capacity magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and an illegally modified high-power rifle, said Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Raquel Zick. Deputies also discovered a pistol ― loaded and tucked under the driver’s seat ― that had been reported stolen out of Humboldt County.
Southard, a San Luis Obispo County resident, was also in possession of drug paraphernalia, prescription medication, heroin, and methamphetamine, Zick said. He was booked in County Jail on multiple felony charges and released on $35,000 bail.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story’s headline stated that the suspect was a player at the casino, which has not been confirmed.
