Anonymous
Source: Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying victims and locating surveillance video that would assist in the investigation of suspected thefts from vehicles in the Orcutt area.
During the early morning hours of 11/20/2018, the Santa Barbara County Public Safety Communications Center received two separate reports of suspicious subjects walking through neighborhoods, entering, and attempting to enter vehicles. The suspects were then seen leaving the area in a gray sedan similar to an older style Pontiac Grand AM. These two reports occurred in the areas of Hilltop Road at Cedarhurst Drive (12:41 a.m.) and East Patterson Road at Oak Knoll Road (12:49 a.m.). The suspects clothing and vehicle descriptions were similar in both of these reports.
Responding deputies observed a suspect vehicle matching the description traveling northbound on Bradley Road at Lakeview. That vehicle immediately fled from the area and the information was passed along to the Santa Maria Police Department. A Santa Maria police officer later saw the suspect vehicle. It again fled from the area; however, the vehicle was located a short distance away, abandoned in a parking lot blocking other vehicles. Two juveniles fleeing the area on foot were detained.
The clothing description of the juveniles matched the description that was given to the 911 call-takers. A third adult suspect was not located by law enforcement. The owner of the vehicle responded to the scene and she identified one of the juveniles. The vehicle owner also told deputies that several pieces of property that were located inside the vehicle did not belong to her. Those items were two cell phones, a GPS device, and a bottle of liquor. Those items were taken by deputies and booked as suspected stolen property.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is requesting anyone with information to phone our tip line at 805-681-4171. Anonymous tips can be made at https://www.sbsheriff.org/
