Santa Barbara Crime Blotter, 2/5 – 2/11
Couples Brawl; Diners Skip on Bill at Denny's
The Santa Barbara Independent’s crime blotter comes from a collection of arrest reports made available to the media by the S.B. Police Department. It’s a roundup of notable crimes and arrests that occurred in the City of Santa Barbara over the past week. The following narratives are provided by responding officers, and the names of suspects have been omitted because they have been arrested but not convicted of any crimes.
2/7; 2 p.m.; 444 Nicholas Lane: A woman was assaulted by her ex-boyfriend while she was asleep at 6 a.m. The man was reportedly upset because the woman was “dating another man.”
2/7; 10:55 p.m.; 1200 Shoreline Drive: Police responded to a domestic disturbance call. A man was smashing the windshield of a woman’s BMW in her driveway. When police arrived, the man locked himself in the car while wielding a glass bottle. According to the report, the officer “was able to unlock the vehicle with the victim’s keys.” The man was arrested and charged with felony vandalism.
2/8; 2:23 a.m.; 1700 Castillo Street: A woman was arrested for throwing a wine glass at her boyfriend and cutting him. According to a report the argument was over the man “spending too much time with exotic dancers/prostitutes.”
2/8; 12:37 p.m.; 1800 State Street: A patrol officer spotted a wanted parolee on State Street. Upon being searched the man was found with a meth pipe, used syringes, and a can of pepper spray.
2/8; 4:20 p.m.; 1200 Manta Lane: A narcotics agent “conducting surveillance” pulled over a suspicious vehicle and witnessed someone throw a baggie with 1.3 grams of methamphetamine out the window. The people in the vehicle were all arrested.
2/9; 4:45 a.m.; 3614 State Street: A group of people were arrested for defrauding an innkeeper after they tried to leave Denny’s, where they had dined, without paying their bill.
2/11; 6:20 p.m.; 800 Shoreline Drive: A man described as “transient” struck another man in the head with a piece of firewood at Leadbetter Beach. The suspect reportedly became upset when the victim “placed a piece of wood in the fire pit next to him.” The suspect also allegedly stepped on the glasses of the victim, which had fallen off during the confrontation. The suspect admitted that he broke the glasses but denied hitting the man with the firewood. However, two witnesses confirmed that he had indeed assaulted the man with the firewood.
2/11; 11:59 a.m.; 1400 State Street: Police responded to a battery in progress. A witness said that a man was punching a woman in the face. When police arrived the woman had a “bloody bottom lip” and the man had “bloody knuckles.” The woman denied that the man had hit her. Also, the man reportedly yelled at one of the witnesses “you’ll be next” when the witness threatened to call police. The man was charged with battery and witness intimidation.
