Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Senior decked in face; man won't leave pizzeria

DAILY SOUND STAFF REPORT

In a typical weekend for local law enforcement, Santa Barbara police officers dealt with an assault call, an unruly pizzeria patron, poor driving and a noisy drunk.

June 7, 5:50 p.m. — Reports of a suspect beating an elderly man took police to 2900 De la Vina St., where officers spoke to the victim. Bleeding profusely from the nose and mouth, he told police a man punched him four to five times in the face for no apparent reason. Authorities noted the victim is 5-foot-4, 120 pounds and frail. The suspect, identified during a line-up, is 6-foot-4, 190 pounds and 39 years old. Police booked the suspect for battery and illegal possession of a shopping cart.

June 8, 2:38 a.m. — Authorities received notice of a man refusing to leave Uncle Rocco’s New York Pizza, 437 State St. Upon arrival, police found a 22-year-old man arguing with the owner at the front door, preventing other customers from entering the restaurant. After being told to leave multiple times, the suspect reportedly replied by saying, “What are you going to f---ing do about it?” Police noted the man did not purchase anything and only had 39 cents in his possession. Authorities booked him on $2,500 bail for obstructing or interfering with a business.

June 8, 11:25 p.m. — After crashing into a parked car, a 27-year-old man told police a bright light had blinded him moments earlier, causing the incident. After arriving at the scene of the accident, at 130 E. Arrellaga St, authorities noted the Santa Barbara man appeared sleepy and unresponsive as he sat on the sidewalk, being attended to by paramedics. Further investigation revealed he had bloodshot and watery eyes, and slowed and slurred speech. The suspect told officers he had eye problems, including night blindness.
During a field interview, he admitted to drinking a 22-ounce Miller beer earlier that day, which he didn’t finish. He also admitted to taking an unknown dosage of Prozac and possibly two 1 mg doses of Valium an hour and a half earlier. He told police he has a high tolerance for Valium and he doesn’t “really feel them.” He also admitted to smoking heroin in his past, but said he hadn’t done so for at least three weeks. After noticing him swaying during a balance test and performing poorly on other sobriety tests, police took him into custody for being under the influence of a controlled substance and DUI.
The 27-year-old agreed to and passed a breathalyzer with flying colors, blowing a 0.00 twice. He also agreed to a urine test at the station, but could not pee despite multiple attempts. Police took him to the hospital for a blood test before taking him to the Sobering Center.

June 8, 11:26 p.m. — Police arrived at an apartment complex in the 300 block of W. Carrillo St. for the second time that evening after receiving reports of a drunken man yelling loudly. On their first trip, authorities had been unable to locate the suspect. This time around, they tracked down the shouting to an apartment and knocked on the door. A man answered and admitted to drinking alcohol. On the way back to his own apartment in the same complex, he admitted to police, “I have a warrant, but it’s small.” Sure enough, a records check revealed two local warrants for violating his probation and failing to appear for a public intoxication charge. Police booked the 47-year-old man into jail in lieu of $10,000 bail on the two warrants.

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