Law and Disorder 7-3
The man who died after having lost consciousness in a Westside pool on 6/23 was revealed to be 23-year-old Santa Barbara City College student Kevin Whitney, a Petaluma native and aspiring firefighter. Whitney, who had been drinking previous to losing consciousness, died at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital on 6/24 when he was removed from life support. The coroner ruled his death as accidental drowning. (/kevinwhitney)
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A man is in critical condition at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital after being shot in the shoulder near the Storke Road Jack-in-the-Box on 6/30. Armed with descriptions from witnesses, sheriff’s deputies arrested two men at gunpoint in connection with the shooting, after pulling them over on southbound Highway 101 in Carpinteria. (/goletashooting)
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A 30-year-old man was sent to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital on 6/29 with non-fatal stab wounds following an attack by unidentified assailants. The man told police that two Hispanic men stabbed him through his open car window while he was parked at 1332 Harbor Way shortly after 4 p.m. The victim was not able to provide further description of the attackers or any motive for their actions. (/stabbing703)
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Police arrested 20-year-old Damien Nolasco around 7:30 p.m. on 6/29 after he allegedly attempted to rob three people near 930 San Pascual St., pointing a loaded 9-mm handgun at one of them in the process. The three victims wrestled the gun away, held Nolasco down, and called police. Nolasco reportedly escaped and ran away, but police eventually found him and took him into custody. (robbery703)
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Judge Frank Ochoa opted on 7/1 not to change the six-year sentence for Heather Hulsey, who in December pled no contest to felony charges of vehicular manslaughter while driving intoxicated and fleeing the scene of an accident knowing a person had been injured. The defense had proposed a two-and-a-half-year hold on prison for Hulsey, who became pregnant by a man she met at a recovery program, to raise her baby and deal with substance abuse issues. Hulsey will instead raise the child through a prison program. (/hulsey703)
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Wayne David Scoles, 55, was arrested on 6/27 after shouting at Police Chief Cam Sanchez, who was attending a wedding at Shoreline Park. According to police reports, Scoles verbally threatened Sanchez, who was in uniform at the time and called for back-up. Police eventually released him with a citation for disturbing the peace and challenging to fight. Scoles denied that he threatened Sanchez. (/scoles)
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Some 20 members of various county law enforcement agencies prowled the rails on 6/30 issuing trespassing citations to people for walking or camping near the tracks-a violation of railroad safety regulations. Though nearly all the arrested or cited were transients, drivers and pedestrians were also cited. (/trainsafety)
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Tuesday, 7/1, marked the first day that California motorists can no longer talk legally on hand-held cell phones while driving. Drivers 18 years old and older must purchase a hands-free set if they wish to drive and chat. With penalty assessments, scofflaws face $76 for first offenses and $190 for subsequent citations. (/shutupanddrive)
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Carpinteria’s Frank Louda, 61, died on 6/30 while surfing at Hollister Ranch, despite efforts by fellow surfers to save his life and an emergency helicopter flight to Cottage Hospital. The cause of death for the contractor and avid surfer is under investigation. On 7/1, his widow, Jodie Ireland, thanked those who tried to help him, saying, “Frank had an extraordinary talent for enjoying life and was doing what he did best.” (/franklouda)
