Anonymous
Source: Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office
On Tuesday, February, 11, 2020 at 12:03 in the morning, Sheriff’s Deputies conducted a traffic stop of a black Chevrolet Equinox traveling northbound on Highway 101 at Casitas Pass. During the stop, deputies searched the vehicle and found nearly one pound of methamphetamine concealed in the dashboard with a replica firearm. Also, in the vehicle they found prescription medication that did not belong to the suspect. The driver, 53-year-old John Scott Bavaro of Buellton was arrested.
A few hours later, narcotics detectives wrote and served a search warrant at the suspect’s residence in the 400-block of Avenue of The Flags in Buellton. At the residence, detectives located evidence of drug sales, an additional seven grams of methamphetamine, and four grams of psilocybin mushrooms.
Bavaro was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail for possession of a controlled substance for sales (felony), carrying a concealed dirk or dagger (felony), transportation of a controlled substance for sales(felony), commission of a felony after release on bail (felony), transportation of methamphetamine for sales (felony), and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription (misdemeanor). He is being held on $50,000 bail.
I’ll bet the ladies love his artistic neck tat display.
He might be able to get a “touch up” in the Big House as soon as he arrives.
Clearly this guy has been making good decisions for quite some time.
…one of the recently released Jailed felons that are in our communities everywhere instead of IN JAIL… Why are people who follow the rules and laws LEAVING CA….? Oh yeah.
He actually had over 13 years of clean time and helped hundreds of men in Narcotics Anonymous. Obviously something happened and he relapsed. It is a horrible thing relapsing after having that much time clean and sober. How do I know this? The same thing happened to me….I wanted to die and it took me 10 long years to get my shit straightened out. I pray that it doesn’t take him that long and that he can get the help that he needs
Wow! You people obviously have no hearts. This man had over 13 years and helped hundreds of men get clean and stay clean. Obviously something horrible happened and he relapsed. I pray that he gets the help that he needs. So many judgemental, heartless people in the world today….smh
So many judgemental people who have no idea who this man is. This man has a huge heart and had over 13 years clean and sober and has helped hundreds of men get clean and stay clean. He was a great father and an inspiration to many. Obviously something horrible happened and he relapsed. It isn’t fun relapsing after having that much clean time, I know because it happened to me. I struggled for 10 years before I was able to get and stay clean again. I pray that it doesn’t take him as long as it did me because it isn’t fun out there. Its a horrible place to be and most of the time you just want to die. Praying for you John Bavaro
Maybe he WAS clean and HAD done well, but as they say, he fell off the wagon. No excuses.
You sell drugs to people, especially young people and they all do because it’s the MONEY, you will always get caught. You do the crime you do the time. No Excuses here!
17 Years off the drink here when you do the crime you do the time. They got everyright to be angry they see the disease up close and personal everyday on our streets… And this is not a disease like most this one can be stopped by going to meetings or with determination or will power…Lighten up on these folks you don’t know they all have hearts what they don’t have is room for excuses…
If you knew about addiction you would know that ‘will power’ has nothing to do with it. I agree that when you do the crime you do the time. But it just hurt my heart seeing such mean hearted comments from people who have no idea who this man is. I do, he is a good man who messed up BAD. Hopefully he can get the help he needs and hopefully the men and women that he helped so much when they came into the rooms can reach out and let him know that he is not alone and that they are there for him.
How many families has he ruined slinging dope?
Like I said, he messed up…and messed up bad. I’m sure he isnt feeling to good about himself right now and its a good thing that he cannot see these comments. If you saw me, you would never think that I lived a life like that but that’s what drugs and alcohol do to addicts/alcoholics. It took me 10 horrible, long years to get clean and sober after a relapse and previously having 12.5 years clean and sober. You all can think what you want but this man has saved many peoples lives when they came into the 12 step rooms. He sponsored a lot of men and helped a lot of people. He is not an evil person. He is person with the disease of addiction and he relapsed. It happens sometimes….it doesn’t have to but it does sometimes. I will just pray that he gets help and let’s the people that he helped, help him ❤
He just recently relapsed ….like within the last few weeks so hopefully not too many.
Common Drug Thug. No pity from me.
I’m not going to play stupid games with you my program is bigger than your program macho horsey poop Different strokes for different folks don’t like it what ever your not changing anyone’s minds by calling them names don’t like it go cry somewhere else…
Hopefully he did not hurt to many kids…Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?!!!
Do a little research. California’s prisons were overcrowded and the courts forced them to send non violent prisoners to the county jails and/or parole. We don’t know that’s what happened with this guy, but it speaks to your comment.
Hey Sb Sheriff: if you like posting the pictures of people and smearing in the community how about we do it to one of your own. Lieutenant Javier Antunez, custody deputy. Drove drunk on the 154 of all places and injured four other people in a head-on collision. I am going to post this on every mugshot you post until you stop being hypocrites.
Lieutenant Antunez was arrested last September and first went to trial in November.
You never posted his mugshot but do it to everyone else, including for misdemeanors on your website. Shame on you.
I am one of these people that doesn’t get it. It’s one thing to relapse and of course my heart goes out for that. But it’s entirely another dark dark thing to start dealing drugs apparently within weeks of his relapse? Something does not add up here.
Yet another Buellton meth head, career criminal.
How does someone who spent 13 years trying to help people with their addictions then relapse AND start selling drugs to people and possibly creating newly addicted people? I get that good people can become addicts but would a good person do this?
How does someone who spent 13 years trying to help people with their addictions then relapse AND start selling drugs to people and possibly creating newly addicted people? I get that good people can become addicts but would a good person do this?
California voters refused to build more jails; that is why we ran out of room. Plus the demands of prison guard unions made more incarceration fiscally unfeasible. Go back to the year 1999 to see how this current mess began – Gov Grey Davis, remember? Once more our “public servants” became our masters. This is what a one-party state does for you.
Thank you Starladarla…..that was very well said. I will also pray for him as I know that he is a good man and has a good heart. He relapsed and addiction just took over his life. It happens fast when you have that much clean time under your belt.
Obviously you are a Normy and have no idea regarding the Disease of Addiction (and yes, it is a disease). This man is someone’s son, someone’s brother, someone’s father, so on and so on. Maybe someday one of your family members will be struck with the disease of addiction and then maybe, just maybe, you will understand what this disease does to a person. When someone relapses after having that much clean time/recovery its 9 times out of 10 that something really really horrible happened in their life and they just couldn’t deal with it and gave up. This disease is very cunning and baffling and does crazy stuff to your mind. Anyway, I’m not gonna sit here and try and convince someone who already has their mind made up (even if they are absolutely wrong). You’ve obviously never had to deal with a family member or close friend going thru something like this or you wouldn’t be so close minded.
I understand the rage that a lot of people have on here, particularly because of the sales aspect of this man’s arrest and how that may have contributed to the harm of others. I have this deep conviction to comment in response to these misguided assumptions about this man’s true character however, and whether he is good/bad. Addiction is a cunning disease and very real. As an addict, I have to say that I myself did many terrible things when I was in my own prison of addiction. This is not a reflection of his character but of the destruction that comes with drugs. This man’s story isn’t over yet and there is hope that he may help many other addicts in the future as he has in the past. I respect his 13 years of recovery prior to this season of his life and I will pray for him in my next meeting that he may have many more in the future.
I take offense to the idea that we as a society are supposed to offer hard-drug addicts some sort of sympathy for their myriad of poor choices. Everyone is offered drugs at some point in their life. Most do not partake in meth, speed, crack, or heroin. Most understand that life is about choices and partaking in hard drugs is a very, very poor choice. Your addiction came about because you liked getting high. It was solidified because you chose to do the worst kind of drugs instead of something more healthy or better yet, abstain. Addiction to a drug like Meth is 100% your fault. No one can say they didnt know what the stuff would do to them. No one can say they werent warned. And no one can possibly lay the blame for becoming a meth addict on any one but themselves. Get clean. Stay clean but remember, its your life and your choices that resulted in your addiction to this particular drug. Its not a disease in the classic sense, you didnt catch it. Addiction to meth or heroin are a result of a lifestyle choice. Make sure that you make the right choices, especially when you know the consequences are so severe and stop blaming others. It was your choice to do it once, and it was certainly your choice to do it enough to become addicted.
THROWAWAY – What “traditions” are you talking about?
Addiction is Your choice not mine.
MissMica, doing meth is a choice. Unlike alcohol, where a common, socially acceptable and innocuous activity for most people can turn into a problem for some – due to their physical and genetic makeup. Meth, heroin, and other hard drugs cause immense physical harm and are very addictive from the get go. Everyone knows this. People who choose to do these drugs are making a choice. You didnt end up on meth because of a post operative pain pill prescription, or a friendly doctor over prescribing you oxycotin for a broken leg. You ended up on meth because you liked to get high, knowing full well of the risks…………………………………….. Please dont suppose anything about my experiences or any others for that matter. You have no clue and your assertions could not be further from the facts. Get well. Stay well. But stop pretending you’re suffering from something outside of your control. Take responsibility and you’ll own the problem and your life. Be strong. Be smart and make the right choices.