Jackson Friedman

Highway 154 will reopen two lanes on Friday, July 19, with intermittent lane closures as emergency repair work continues. | Credit: Caltrans A second lane of San Marcos Pass is reopening — intermittently — to motorists on Friday, according to an announcement this Thursday from Caltrans, which also stated for the first time that it expects the road to be fully reopen by winter 2024. Highway 154 was closed between San Antonio Creek Road and Painted Cave Road after major cracks developed across the entirety of the highway on June 21 while Caltrans was repairing a slip-out, or landslide, beneath the road. On July 4, Caltrans reopened the lane farthest from the slide , installing a temporary traffic signal to control one-way reversing traffic. Following further repairs to the pavement cracking, Caltrans said it will be opening another lane to travelers by end of day Friday, July 19. Those taking the pass connecting Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley should plan on intermittent lane closures Monday-Thursday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. and Friday between 9 a.m. and noon. During these lane closures, one-way reversing traffic control will be in place to allow Caltrans to continue ongoing slide repair work and pavement reconstruction. Until the $10 million project is complete this winter, a reduced speed zone will be in effect, and travelers should be aware of electronic message boards, flaggers, and all highway workers within the work zone. Road information and updates can also be found on Caltrans District 5 Social Media platforms: Twitter at: @CaltransD5, Facebook at: Caltrans Central Coast (District 5) and Instagram/Threads at: @Caltrans_D5.

Bystanders attempted to revive the man, who was sideswiped by a passing vehicle on the southbound shoulder of the highway on Thursday.

Fillmore man Jose Regalado Jr., 30, was identified this week as the pedestrian fatally struck by an SUV on the side of Highway 101 on August 15. He is survived by his wife and two sons. | Credit: GoFundMe Officials have released more details surrounding the fatal vehicle-versus-pedestrian collision on the shoulder of Highway 101 in Gaviota last Thursday , including the identity of the 30-year-old Fillmore man killed in the crash. The collision happened August 15 at around 12:35 p.m. when 76-year-old Solvang resident Timothy Bee was driving his 2021 Chevrolet Suburban southbound on Highway 101 near Las Varas Canyon Road, according to California Highway Patrol's incident report. “For reasons still under investigation,” the report states, Bee then veered his SUV into the right shoulder, striking a pedestrian attempting to enter his Ford 5350 parked on the side of the highway. “Bee immediately stopped his vehicle on the right shoulder, contacted 9-1-1, and awaited emergency personnel,” according to the report, but the victim was pronounced dead on the scene. According to the incident report, Bee was not arrested at the scene. After notifying the victim's next of kin, the Santa Barbara County Coroner's Bureau on Wednesday announced that the deceased was 30-year-old Jose Regalado Jr. from Fillmore. According to a GoFundMe set up for his family , Regalado “was a good man, a great husband, and an exceptional father” and leaves behind a wife and two young sons, ages 2 and 5. “Victor was the sole breadwinner of the family and his sudden death leaves not only emotional distress but financial uncertainty,” wrote Adelaida Garcia, the GoFundMe page's organizer. Garcia said the funds raised would be used “to help with burial expenses, support for their two kids, and any additional expenses they may incur during this difficult time.” As of press time, the GoFundMe had raised just over $7,700 of its $40,000 goal. CHP is actively investigating the crash and asks anyone with information to call (805) 770-4800.

Santa Barbara Police Arrest Mother for Allegedly Attempting to Smother Her Newborn Baby Woman to Be Held in County Jail Without Bail for Attempted Murder and Cruel and Unusual Punishment of Child Credit: Chalabala - stock.adobe.com A Santa Barbara woman has been arrested for allegedly attempting to smother her newborn baby in her apartment this weekend. Roommates discovered both the mother, 20-year-old Joseline Lopez-Hernandez, and her newborn baby unresponsive inside their apartment Sunday morning at a complex on the 1100 block of San Andres Street, according to Assistant Chief of Police Marylinda Arroyo. Santa Barbara City Police, City Fire, and AMR responded to the scene at 7:54 a.m. and transported the baby and Lopez-Hernandez to Cottage Hospital. Following life-saving measures, the baby regained a pulse and began breathing without assistance. During a follow-up investigation, detectives learned that Lopez-Hernandez had allegedly attempted to smother the baby. Assistant Chief Arroyo said that as of Tuesday evening, the mother was in the process of being booked into Santa Barbara County Jail for attempted homicide cruel and unusual punishment of a child and will be held without bail. A court date has not yet been scheduled.

A vegetation fire broke out Monday at around 11 a.m. in a rural area outside of Lompoc adjacent to Highway 1 and the 4000 block of Santa Rosa Road, according to Santa Barbara County Fire spokesperson Scott Safechuck. Access to the fire is limited, Safechuck said, and firefighters on the ground are attempting to get to the fire — named the Rosa Incident — from multiple points of entry. In the meantime, a total of four air tankers and two helicopters have been ordered to the fire, which air attack estimated at 15-20 acres as of 12:12 p.m.

Haskell's Beach | Credit: Glenn Beltz Santa Barbara County Sheriff's deputies arrested a 15-year-old male suspect for attempted murder after he allegedly shot two men in their early twenties after midnight on Sunday at Haskell's Beach in Goleta. Deputies responded to a report of a shooting at the beach near the Ritz-Carlton Bacara at approximately 12:51 a.m. on September 22, according to Sheriff's spokesperson Raquel Zick. When they arrived, deputies found the two victims with gunshots wounds; one victim had been shot once in the hip area, and the other victim in each leg. The victims were transported to a nearby hospital and are expected to survive. Deputies established a perimeter and began searching for the suspect, who they learned had reportedly flashed gang signs at the victims before shooting them. The deputies found the suspect at around 2:19 a.m. and took him into custody after he allegedly attempted to flee on foot, dropping a handgun in the process. The handgun was registered to an owner from out of the area and was not reported stolen, Zick said. The suspect was booked at the Santa Maria Juvenile Hall for two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a concealed firearm, gang enhancement, and enhancement for using a firearm in the commission of a felony. Zick explained that juveniles are not eligible for bail and the case will be forwarded to Juvenile Probation for adjudication. It does not appear that the suspect and the victims know each other, Zick said.

AirTag Helps Santa Barbara Police Nab Teen Suspect in Armed E-Bike Robbery Police Say Three Suspects Are in Custody After Group of Knife-Wielding Juveniles Stole Two E-Bikes from Pair of 15-Year-Olds Credit: Google Maps An AirTag tracking device helped Santa Barbara police nab one of three suspects arrested for their alleged involvement in an armed robbery that took place Saturday afternoon in a downtown parking lot, where two teens say a knife-wielding group of juveniles stole their e-bikes. In a statement released over the weekend, Santa Barbara Police say they received a 9-1-1 call shortly after 3:30 p.m. to report the armed robbery in the City Lot 10 parking lot off Ortega Street. According to police, the victims said they were riding their e-bikes at the top of the lot when they were approached by a group of six to eight juveniles who brandished a knife and robbed them of their bikes. “Several officers saturated the downtown corridor,” according to police, where they located two of the suspects riding one of the stolen e-bikes. Police say the suspects then ditched the bike and led police on a foot chase, knocking an elderly man to the ground during the pursuit. Officers detained the two suspects and located a knife on one of them. The man was treated for a minor abrasion by medics at the scene. Meanwhile, one of the victim's was able to provide police with the real-time whereabouts of the second stolen e-bike thanks to a location-tracking AirTag attached to the bike. That led police to the abandoned bike and the third subject, who was found nearby, positively identified as the suspect, and arrested. All three of the 15-year-old suspects were booked in Santa Barbara County Juvenile Hall on suspicion of felony robbery and conspiracy to commit a crime, as well as misdemeanor elder abuse. Juveniles are not eligible for bail, and the case will be forwarded to Juvenile Probation for adjudication. This is not the first time an AirTag has helped Santa Barbara authorities apprehend a suspect. In August, a woman who suspected her mail was being stolen from her PO Box at the Los Alamos Post Office mailed herself a package containing an AirTag, which was stolen and subsequently used by sheriff's deputies to locate and arrest the two suspected thieves in Santa Maria. And in October 2023, UC Santa Barbara police located a bicycle stolen from campus and 17 others in a storage facility on upper State Street with the help of the tracking device.

Man in Custody, Two Injured Following Explosion at Santa Maria Courthouse Santa Maria Government Buildings Shut Down for Day After Suspect Reportedly Sets off Improvised Explosive Device in Courthouse Wednesday A man is in custody following an explosion at Santa Maria Superior Courthouse Wednesday morning that injured two people and shut down government buildings around the city. According to Santa Barbara County Sheriff's spokesperson Raquel Zick, the explosion was reported shortly after 8:40 a.m. and was the result of “an intentionally set improvised explosive device.” According to local media reports, witnesses described seeing a man walk into the building and throw a bag or backpack at security, who detained the suspect after the bag exploded. Zick said there were two reports of non-life-threatening injuries. The scene remained active as of 10:30 a.m. while authorities investigated the explosion, and Zick asked that the public avoid the area. The City of Santa Maria announced that due to the law enforcement investigation in the area, nearby Santa Maria City Hall, Finance Department, City Attorney's Office, Santa Maria Public Library, and Recreation and Parks Department would all be closed for the day. Governor Gavin Newsom said that his office and the Office of Emergency Services is “actively monitoring the explosion at the Santa Maria Courthouse and coordinating with law enforcement authorities.” The FBI is also responding.

Santa Barbara Police Department's SWAT and Crisis Negotation Response teams are responding to an apartment complex on the 500 block of North Salsipuedes Street where a man has been barricaded inside an apartment since Sunday night. Police responded to a report of a domestic disturbance at the apartment at around 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, according to Sergeant Ethan Ragsdale. During the initial investigation, the male suspect barricaded himself in the apartment and refused to surrender to police. Before the suspect barricaded himself in the apartment, the female victim was able to escape and is now safe. Police request that the public avoid the surrounding area as the isolated incident is still evolving and under investigation. However, there is currently no threat to surrounding residences and schools, police say.

A multi-vehicle crash on Highway 1 injured six and shutdown northbound lanes on Thursday, November 21, 2024. | Credit: Scott Safechuck/SBC Fire The Lompoc area saw two major crashes this week that injured seven people, including three critically, and resulted in the deaths of two young girls. The first crash occurred on Wednesday at 3:51 p.m., when a California Highway Patrol officer attempted to pull over the driver of a speeding Infiniti sedan in the area of Harris Grade and Rucker roads near Vandenberg Village in the Lompoc area, according to CHP. A high-speed pursuit on the northbound side of the Harris Grade ended when the driver failed to negotiate a curve and collided with an oak tree with enough force to tear the car in half. A CHP officer arriving at the scene found two young girls, a 3-year-old and 7-month-old, had been killed in the crash. The driver, 23-year-old Cuyama resident Brian Hernandez-Cervantes, was moderately injured and arrested on suspicion of murder, child endangerment, driving under the influence of alcohol, and reckless driving causing injury. He was booked into Santa Barbara County's Main Jail on $2,000,000 bail. After the Infiniti collided with the tree, the rear half hit a southbound Toyota Equinox but did not injure the driver. While authorities have not released the names of the girls killed in the crash, a GoFundMe page has been set up on behalf of the victims' family to help cover funeral expenses. As of Friday, it had raised $21,488 of its $15,000 goal. CHP is investigating the collision and asks anyone with additional information to call the Buellton Area CHP office at (805) 691-6160. The following day, November 21, a multi-vehicle crash involving four cars on Highway 1 sent six people to the hospital, including three in critical condition, and shut down the northbound lanes. The crash occurred at around 4:45 p.m. near the Santa Lucia Canyon Road offramp, according to CHP. Of the six injured in the wreck, three suffered major injuries, one was moderately injured, and two received minor injuries, said Santa Barbara County Fire Captain Scott Safechuck, who noted that one victim had to be extricated from a vehicle. Four patients were taken by ambulance to Marian Hospital ER in Santa Maria, while a fifth was taken to Lompoc Valley Medical Center. The sixth victim had to be airlifted by CalStar helicopter to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital's ER, according to Safechuck. The identities and current conditions of the victims have not been released, and Thursday's crash is also under investigation by the CHP.