Sheriff’s Blotter

In March 2017, we reported that Sepi Consignment shop on the 1200 block of Coast Village Road was a victim of a shoplifting incident. The store manager shared surveillance photos with us, in hopes our readers would recognize the suspect, who came into the shop at around 3:30 pm on March 20 without shoes on. After stuffing a $500 gown into her handbag, the suspect walked out of the store and went quickly into another nearby clothing store, where she removed two items of clothing off their hangers, but was approached by an employee asking if the woman needed to use a dressing room; the suspect left the store immediately and walked back to her vehicle, which was parked across the street in a handicap parking space. We published surveillance footage of the suspect. 

On April 22, the same woman returned to the store, and the manager immediately recognized her and called police. After fleeing the shop and running down Coast Village Circle, the woman hid from police, and finally emerged once she realized police personnel were in the process of towing her car and taking possession of her dog, which was in the vehicle. The woman, who is from the L.A. area, was arrested. 

Heroin Dealer Arrested 19 April 2018 – Sheriff’s detectives assigned to the Special Investigations Bureau (SIB) concluded an investigation into an alleged heroin dealer operating out of Montecito. SIB Detectives, with the assistance of the Compliance Response Team (CRT), a Sheriff’s K-9 team, and Tulare Police officers, executed search warrants in the 800 block of Picacho Lane in Montecito, as well as the 300 block of North West Street in Tulare. 

During the warrant service in Montecito, 54-year-old Pedro Barajas, a construction foreman who was living on the property in a trailer, was detained. Detectives utilized K-9 Aco to conduct a search of Barajas’s trailer. During the search, K-9 Aco alerted in two locations inside the trailer. SIB detectives then conducted a physical search of the trailer. During the search, detectives located a loaded Glock 9mm handgun, including two additional loaded magazines, approximately 1.1 lbs. of heroin packaged for sale, and more than $10,000 in cash. The search warrant in Tulare yielded a small amount of methamphetamine. 

Barajas was arrested and booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail on the violations of possession of a controlled substance for sale, and possession of a controlled substance while armed with a firearm. A records check revealed Barajas is a convicted felon and prohibited from owning or possessing firearms and or ammunition. Barajas is also charged with Felon in Possession of a firearm and Felon in Possession of ammunition.