Blotter reveals drinking, drugs and disturbances

DAILY SOUND STAFF REPORT

Authorities remained busy during the Fiesta celebration in Santa Barbara despite any major incidents, handling drunks, drug users and domestic disturbances.

July 31, 11:30 p.m. — An officer on bike patrol approached three people getting out of a truck in City Lot 10 and asked the driver, a 26-year-old Santa Barbara man, if he had been drinking. As he was speaking to the driver, the officer looked through the open truck door and spotted a handgun on the floorboard. For his safety, the officer ordered all three suspects to spread out prone on the ground before handcuffing the driver.
After being told he wasn’t under arrest but merely being detained for safety reasons, the driver admitted to having marijuana in his pocket. Officers found the marijuana and also discovered an ecstasy pill in his coin pocket. The driver admitted the drugs were his and was subsequently booked on $10,000 bail for possession of marijuana and a controlled substance. The handgun was later determined to be fake.
During a search of the truck, police found a small amount of cocaine and three ecstasy pills on the rear floorboard. The passenger who had been seated in the rear, a 30-year-old Santa Barbara man, denied the drugs were his. A drug test at the station came back positive for a controlled substance and officers booked the suspect on $10,000 bail for possession of cocaine and ecstasy, and for being under the influence of a controlled substance.

August 1, 4:05 p.m. — Authorities arrived in the 100 block of Los Aguajes Avenue after receiving reports of domestic violence. The victim told police her boyfriend, a 42-year-old Santa Barbara man, had become violent during an argument. She said the suspect became mad at her for making a salad when he didn’t want her to. During the confrontation, he allegedly punched her in the side numerous times and shoved her against a chest of drawers.
A search of the suspect’s criminal history revealed two prior arrests for domestic battery involving different victims. Authorities arrested the man for spousal battery, booking him on $50,000 bail.

August 1, 11:10 p.m. — Upon receiving reports of a woman causing a disturbance at Ruby’s Café, 734 State St., officers arrived to find an uncooperative 26-year-old Santa Maria woman. Witnesses said the woman had attempted to enter the patio area of the restaurant when a security officer stopped her due to capacity limits. When two women employed as alcohol promoters were allowed to pass, however, the suspect became angry.
The security officer said she picked up a full, unopened beer can and hit him in the face, cutting the bridge of his nose. When police spoke with the woman, she appeared intoxicated and refused to provide information about herself. She hid her driver’s license in her purse and told officers she lost it in a bar. She also gave an incomplete name and incorrect date of birth. Authorities ultimately booked her on $20,000 bail for assault and resisting arrest.

August 2, 11 p.m. — Officers on foot patrol during Fiesta festivities noticed a vehicle with illegally tinted windows and directed the driver to pull over to the curb. While speaking to the 23-year-old man, police noticed a scent of marijuana wafting from the interior and asked the driver and his passenger if they had smoked anything that evening.
The passenger, a 22-year-old man, held up a pack of cigarettes for the officers to see, inadvertently revealing a small baggie of white powder in the center console. Officers also noticed several open containers of alcohol on the passenger floorboard and asked both men to step out of the car. Once outside, both suspects displayed symptoms of drug use. Urine samples taken at the station tested positive for both men, and the powdery substance tested positive for cocaine.
Officers found more open containers and cocaine during a search of the vehicle. Authorities booked both suspects in lieu of $30,000 bail for possession of cocaine and being under the influence of a controlled substance.