Edhat Staff
Sheriff’s deputies contacted the three male occupants, ages 19, 18 and 16, all from the Orcutt area. Deputies searched the vehicle and located a BB pistol. The adult driver was cited for expired registration and for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The 16-year -old was cited for a curfew violation.
The case is under investigation. Due to the investigation, no further details will be released. Once the investigation is complete, it will be forwarded to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office with the recommendation that vandalism charges be filed.
Update by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office continues its investigation into a series of incidents involving windows being shot out of vehicles by what appears to be an airsoft or BB gun. More than a dozen vehicles were vandalized overnight on May 31, 2018 and on June 7, 2018 another 12 vehicles were targeted in the Santa Maria and Orcutt areas. Of the 12 new incidents, nine occurred in the City of Santa Maria and three in the Orcutt area. The Sheriff’s Office is working closely with SMPD to identify the parties responsible.
On May 31, 2018, a suspect vehicle was caught on multiple surveillance cameras driving through several neighborhoods in the area of Rice Ranch Road in the community of Orcutt. The suspect(s) shot out windows of cars parked along the roadway or parked in driveways. The most recent crime spree on June 7, 2018 involved vehicles located in the 400 block of Fair Oaks and in the 1200 and 1300 blocks of Mira Flores near S. Bradley and Rice Ranch Road. The crimes that were reported to SMPD occurred in the area of S. Elizabeth and Boone, which is east of the Santa Maria Courthouse.
While there is no evidence at this time directly linking the two crime sprees together, there is reason to believe they may be related. The Sheriff’s Office is re-releasing photos and video of the suspect vehicle that was captured in the May 31, 2018 car vandalism spree. The vehicle was possibly a silver, early to mid-2000’s Toyota Corolla model S four-door sedan with a factory spoiler on the rear trunk lid, a sunroof, and factory six-spoke wheels.
The Sheriff’s Office is requesting anyone with information to please call the non-emergency dispatch line at 805-683-2724 or to leave an anonymous tip, please call 805-681-4171 or go to our website at www.sbsheriff.org.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s assistance in providing information to help to identify the suspect(s) involved in the vandalism of numerous vehicle where windows were shot out.
On Thursday, 5/31/2018, between 4:15 a.m. and 4:45 a.m., the suspect vehicle drove through several neighborhoods in the area of Rice Ranch Road in the community of Orcutt. The suspects used an air gun to shoot out the windows of at least nine vehicles that were parked along the roadway and in private driveways.
The suspect vehicle is believed to be a light colored (possibly silver), early to mid-2000’s Toyota Corolla model S four-door sedan with a factory spoiler on the rear trunk lid, a sunroof, and factory six-spoke wheels. The suspect vehicle may also be missing the front license plate.
During this crime spree, the suspect vehicle was recorded by numerous residential security surveillance systems in the area. Still, photos and video surveillance footage of the vehicle believed to be involved was obtained and is provided to the public in an effort to identify the person responsible for the crimes.
If you have any information regarding this crime, please call the Sheriff’s Office at 805-681-4100 or to leave an anonymous tip call 805-681-4171. You can also leave an anonymous tip on our website at www.sbsheriff.org
