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SANTA BARBARA, CA – 10/25/2007. SBPD announces that a warrant has been issued for the arrest of Jeffrey Alan Mira, age 37, on a charge of burglary, with bail set at $100,000. Mira is accused of the following crime: On Saturday, 10/13/03, Mira and another man drove a Chevy Silverado truck onto the County Bowl Property. They drove up to the stage area, where an ATM was bolted to the wall. They cut through the bolts with an acetylene torch, connected a heavy chain, and pulled the ATM clear of the wall with the truck. They torched open the ATM only to find it empty of any cash. Meanwhile, a county bowl security employee heard suspicious noises and investigated. He spotted the two men hovering near the damaged ATM and contacted his supervisor. The two suspects were spooked and fled on foot up the canyon into the heavy underbrush. Police arrived and recovered the truck, the acetylene torch equipment, plus an assortment of other tools in the truck bed. These items remain in police custody. Detective Mark Suarez investigated the case and determined Mira was one of the men involved in the burglary. The second suspect remains unidentified. Mira is from the Solvang/Santa Ynez area, but is known to frequent Santa Barbara.

On 10/29/2007, Mira was stopped in Lompoc for a traffic violation and was arrested on the burlary warrant that had been put into the system by Detective Suarez.

SANTA BARBARA, CA – 10/24/2007. The public’s help is requested to identify a bicyclist involved in a collision last week that left another bicyclist hospitalized. The collision occurred on Thursday, October 18th, at 6:17 a.m. in the 6000 block of Hollister. Earlier that morning, a delivery truck had overturned and was blocking westbound traffic on Hollister. Darren Potter, age 28, was riding his bicycle west on Hollister, approaching Fairview Ave. Because westbound traffic on Hollister was being diverted, Potter rode his bicycle west in the eastbound bike lane. A few hundred feet later, Potter crashed head-on with another bicyclist. The impact snapped Potter’s bicycle frame in two places. A tow truck driver heard the accident and stopped to render aid. Despite wearing a helmet, Potter sustained major facial injuries. He remains hospitalized at Cottage Hospital in fair condition. His injuries are not life threatening. The other bicyclist was bleeding from his face/head area and appeared “dazed.” His bicycle sustained significant damage. As the tow truck driver rendered aid to Potter, the other bicyclist retrieved his damaged bicycle and walked east on Hollister toward Fairview. A short blood trail suggests this cyclist suffered a significant injury as well. Traffic accident investigators believe that when the two bicycles collided, the riders both flew over their handlebars and struck each other head-to-head.

Accident investigators are seeking to identify and question this cyclist to help determine the exact circumstances of the collision and to ensure that he received proper medical care. His appearance is described as: Hispanic male, 30-40 years, average height and weight, possibly w/ a mustache. He is believed to have sustained a significant head or facial injury. Anyone with information is urged to contact Officer Mark Hunt at 897-3719.

Update 10/24/2007 @ 7:00 AM CHP investigators were able to locate the vehicle and driver which first stuck the pedestrian, along with two of three vehicles that stuck the body after the initial collision. The driver involved in the initial collision is identified as 23 year old Yolanda Sertero Julian of Goleta. According to investigators, Ms. Julian was driving a 1989 Toyota Camry northbound on US 101 in the center lane at approximately 60 miles per hour when an unidentified male pedestrian ran from the right shoulder into the traffic lanes toward the center divider. The Toyota then struck the pedestrian who was propelled over the top of the Toyota and onto the roadway surface where it was apparently stuck by up to three other vehicles.

Believing that she had been stuck by an object which had been thrown off the La Cumbre overpass, Ms. Julian drove to her home in Goleta to speak with her husband. Approximately one hour after the collision, her husband took her to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for treatment of an eye injury she sustained by the breakage of the Toyota’s windshield glass. Emergency Room personnel at SBCH then called the CHP who responded officers to the hospital to contact Ms. Julian and her husband.

CHP investigators are not considering Ms. Julian to be a hit and run suspect and she was not arrested. Ms. Julian was wearing her seatbelt and had not consumed any alcohol. The edestrian who was killed is suspected to a homeless person who had been living in the Santa Barbara area. The identity of the pedestrian is not known at this time. The Santa Barbara County Coroner’s will be attempting to make positive identification of the pedestrian and notify any next of kin. The cause of this collision remains under investigation. If anyone has any
information regarding this case, they are urged to contact the CHP at 967-1234 or 477-4174.

SANTA BARBARA, CA – 10/18/2007 – The woman suspected of committing several recent attempted and completed armed robberies is in custody. She is identified as Samantha Brown, age 28. The incidents all occurred the evening of 10/16/07. Reportedly, Brown brandished a tire iron and demanded cash from two victims in the Bank of America parking lot at 834 State Street. Brown did not get any cash, but did take a duffel bag full of gym clothes from a man withdrawing money from the ATM machine. Brown then confronted a man and a woman sitting in a car parked behind Washington Mutual bank at 1302 State Street. She did not get any money from them, but did get $40 cash from a woman who just made a withdrawal from the ATM machine. Brown escaped in a red Acura Integra driven by a male accomplice. Based on witness descriptions of the suspect and vehicle, detectives identified Brown as the suspect. A BOL (Be On the Lookout) was issued. Last night (10/17/07) at 9:40 p.m. Officers Noel Rivas and Jared Hall were patrolling on Calle Cesar Chavez when they spotted Brown in the red Acura. Brown was arrested without incident. Police recovered a tire iron suspected of being the robbery weapon and a gym bag believed stolen from the victim at the BofA robbery. A passenger in the Acura, Dorian Aquino, age 36, was arrested for a violation of probation warrant. Detectives believe Aquino was the get-away driver and arrested him for robbery and criminal conspiracy. Both Brown and Aquino are Santa Barbara residents. In addition to the reported cases, detectives believe these suspects may have committed other attempted or completed robberies. Anyone with additional information is urged to contact Detective Jim Ella at 897-2346.

SANTA BARBARA, CA – 10/17/2007. SBPD detectives are investigating a spate of attempted and a completed robbery committed last night by a female suspect. The incidents occurred shortly after 8:00 p.m. when a woman, armed with a tire iron, confronted a female driving in the Bank of America parking lot at 834 State Street. The suspect brandished the tire iron and demanded cash. Instead of relinquishing her money, the would-be female victim drove away and contacted police. The suspect then confronted a man withdrawing cash at the ATM located in the same parking lot. The man refused to give up his money and the suspect fled the area. The suspect soon reappeared behind the Washington Mutual Bank parking lot at 1302 State Street. A man had just driven into the parking lot to pick up two female friends. One female got in his car and the other walked to the ATM. The suspect confronted the man and the female sitting in the car and demanded cash. They told her they did not have any. Just then, the second female walked up from the ATM with cash in her hand. The suspect snatched $40 cash from her hand and ran to a red Acura Integra parked nearby. She got in and the vehicle fled, driven by a male accomplice. The startled victims tried following the suspect vehicle but quickly lost it in traffic. The suspect’s appearance is described as a Hispanic or Black female with light complexion, mid-20s, with average height and height. Anyone with additional information is urged to contact Detective Jim Ella 897-2346 or the watch commander at 897-2355.

SANTA BARBARA, CA – 10/16/2007. The blood-alcohol levels for the parties involved in the October 5th fatal traffic collision at 700 Cliff Drive are available for release. Robert Ernest Anderson, age 59, who was driving the 1986 Volvo station wagon had a blood-alcohol level of .14, as measured in a breath test. A blood sample was obtained from Anderson, which will be examined for alcohol and drug content. The pedestrian, Ann Lindsey Napier, age 23, who was struck and killed, had a blood-alcohol level of .28, as reported by the Santa Barbara County Coroner. In California, a blood-alcohol level of .08 or higher is the level in which a driver is presumed to be unlawfully impaired when operating a motor vehicle. The circumstances of the collision remain under investigation.

SANTA BARBARA, CA – 10/16/2007. Last night (Monday, October 15th) at 10:20 p.m., police responded to the area of 600 E. Cabrillo Blvd on a disturbance call. The information was that a male suspect brandished a knife at another man. Officer David Anduri was checking the area of 500 E. Cabrillo Blvd when he noticed a man lying down in the sand near the edge of the concrete bike-path. This man matched the suspect description so Officer Anduri questioned him to determine his possible involvement. The suspect denied involvement in the disturbance, but provided a false name. As Officer Anduri’s suspicions increased, the suspect suddenly turned and bolted toward the ocean. Two officers gave chase. The suspect ran across the beach, dove headlong into the surf, and swam just beyond the breaking waves. There the suspect remained, treading water, and refusing to return to shore and give himself up. Harbor Patrol arrived in a patrol boat to assist. The suspect still refused to give himself up, but the combined effects of the chilly water and fatigue took their toll. After about twenty minutes in the water, the suspect quietly climbed into the boat and surrendered. Out of concern the suspect may have suffered hypothermia, he was taken to Cottage Hospital for examination. The suspect was combative with hospital staff and provided more false names. The mystery of the suspect’s identity was soon solved when officers checked the area he was first spotted. They found paperwork with the suspect’s name and recent address. The suspect is identified as: Humberto Ortiz Cortez, age 40. The reason Cortez fled appears to be that he was wanted for parole violation and had warrants for auto theft and burglary. Cortez was booked for these charges plus resisting arrest and falsely identifying himself. He is held without bail. Ironically, Cortez was not the suspect involved in the original disturbance call.

SANTA BARBARA, CA – 10/15/2007 – On 10/12/07 at 11:00 p.m. police responded to the marijuana dispensary called SBC Patient’s Collective at 2915 De La Vina Street on a call of a possible burglary in progress. A neighbor had been awakened to the sounds of “banging and rustling”. The neighbor knew the business has been burglarized before, so she called police. Police arrived and contacted two teens waiting in a vehicle in the parking lot; a 19-year-old male and 16-year-old female. A third teen tried to nonchalantly walk up and get in the vehicle. Officers noted that this subject, a 17-year-old male, was covered in dirt, had fresh bloody cuts to his hands, and had a pair of pruning shears in his pocket. The investigation determined that the suspect had accessed the rear patio of the dispensary by climbing a fence and cutting a large hole in a heavy tarp that covered the patio. This surface was covered in dirt and heavy dust. The suspect dropped down into the enclosed patio and unsuccessfully tried to pry open the back door. The door was damaged but held secure. The suspect evidently cut himself in the process, as evidenced by fresh blood on the door and jamb. When he heard the police arrive he climbed out of the patio and tried to rejoin his friends waiting in the vehicle. The 17-year-old suspect was arrested by Officer Palka and booked at Juvenile Hall for Burglary. The other two teens were questioned and released to parents.

On 10/13/07 at 9:30 p.m. police responded to a possible gang fight in the 1300 block of Salinas Place. Responding officers saw several males and females flee by jumping over fences. Police tracked them to a nearby residence. An adult male resident arrived to say no one should be inside the residence. Police were granted permission to look inside and found ten juveniles, several with gang ties. One female juvenile was the daughter of a resident. Officer Hunter arrested a 17-year-old female for being under the influence of methamphetamine. The others were warned and released.

On 10/14/07 at 6:00 a.m. the owners of Garret’s Old Fashioned Restaurant at 2001 State Street called police after finding the back door torn off its hinges and a male subject sleeping inside. Police contacted Jerry Farmer, age 45, who peacefully lay sleeping on the business floor. Police determined that a few hours earlier at 3:00 a.m., a customer at the AM-PM Mini Mart across the street told the clerk that a muscular man dressed in a white tank-top and jeans confronted him and challenged him to fight. The scared customer retreated into the AM-PM store until the suspect left the area. Farmer matched this suspect’s description. Farmer told police that he started drinking whiskey and beer at 6:00 p.m. the night before. He did not recall what happened after that. Officer Epstein arrested Farmer for suspicion of vandalism and trespassing.

SANTA BARBARA, CA – 10/11/2007. Last night (10/10/07) at 9:25 p.m. Officer Ethan Ragsdale was on routine patrol in the Mesa neighborhood of Flora Vista when he heard the sound of a car crash. He drove to 2300 Cliff Drive and spotted a solitary pair of tail lights hightailing it out of the area. Officer Ragsdale followed the vehicle, a 1990 Cadillac east on Cliff Drive, down Mohawk Road, and left on Channing Ave, where it parked mid block. The Cadillac had extensive right front damage consistent with a major traffic collision. The driver, identified as Inez Montalvo, age 29, got out and hurriedly started to walk away. Aided by his spotlight, the officer noticed a “glittery” substance resembling “shards of glass” falling from Montalvo’s clothing. Montalvo was arrested at the scene. Police examined the glittery trail left in Montalvo’s wake. They determined it was suspected crystal Methamphetamine, also known as “Ice.” More suspected crystal Meth was found in Montalvo’s pocket. A police canine trained to sniff out drugs found yet more suspected crystal Meth hidden in the Cadillac’s center console. Police also seized $1,000 cash suspected of being drug profit money. A City Fire crew responded to wash away the tiny Meth fragments that could not be collected.

Montalvo stated he had been driving eastbound on Cliff Drive when he received a cell phone call. The distraction of answering the phone caused him to drift to the right and collide with the parked truck. Montalvo was booked for possession of Meth for sales, transportation of Meth, and hit and run.

SANTA BARBARA, CA – 10/8/2007. On Friday Night, 10/5/07, at 10:10 p.m. officers responded to 700 Cliff Drive on a vehicle versus pedestrian collision. The collision scene was a few hundred feet below the main entrance to Santa Barbara City College. The victim, Anne Lindsey Napier, age 23, was found lying in the roadway near the north curbline. She was transported to Cottage Hospital and pronounced dead, apparently from head trauma. The involved vehicle, a 1986 Volvo station wagon, and the driver, Robert Ernest Anderson, age 59, were at the scene. Anderson had been drinking and was arrested for suspicion of DUI. The Volvo was impounded as evidence.

The investigation revealed that Napier and a male companion named David Weber, age 23, left the Brewhouse at 229 W. Montecito Street on foot. They walked west on Montecito and then west on Cliff Drive. The driver of the Volvo, Anderson, age 59, also had been at the Brewhouse. He drove west on Montecito and west on Cliff Drive. Investigators believe that moments before the Volvo approached, Napier stepped off the curb and into the traffic lane. The Volvo struck Napier and then stopped at the scene.

The reason Napier stepped off the curb remains under investigation. Minutes before the collision, Napier and Weber were seen at Montecito and Castillo Street, apparently trying to hail a cab. Napier is believed have been drinking prior to the collision. Her blood-alcohol level will be determined pending a toxicological examination.

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