Tomato Tomahto

My favorites from today’s Sheriff’s Blotter in the Goleta Valley Voice:

The ol’ college try
In all fairness, the 19-year-old male, charged with cultivating marijuana inside his Isla Vista apartment, did his creative best to mislead deputies. About the small plants in a closet, the college student asserted, “It’s not marijuana, it’s sage.” When that didn’t work, he continued, “They are tomato plants.”

Deputies were investigating the source of amplified music on Sabado Tarde at 8 p.m. when, finding the apartment stereo unattended, they also noticed bright light illuminating a closet. The plants were removed and the budding botanist was cited for cultivating marijuana.

Package, intercepted
A man dressed as a “penis in a box” during the Halloween festivities in Isla Vista, landed in jail at 3a.m. The UC San Francisco student, 22, was totally “out of it” when he ran directly into a deputy working the party crowd.

Upon realizing he’d bumped into the deputy, the intoxicated, costumed subject tried to flee. However, the penis was easily apprehended and handcuffed.

This is how she rolls
Luckily, another partygoer was nearby to help catch the female who, upon falling down drunk on Del Playa Drive, nearly rolled down a steep hill. The San Diego State student stumbled into a front yard, but before she had a chance to get back up, she began rolling away. A young male helped stop her. After helping her to her feet, deputies arrested the visitor, 22, for public intoxication.

Eyes wide shut
It appeared to deputies patrolling the Isla Vista party scene recently that a subject found staggering in the roadway had his eyes shut. To confirm the subject was, indeed, walking with his eyes closed, a deputy shone a light at the subject. It was not until the man “walked directly into (the deputy),” that he finally opened his eyes.

The 21-year-old was arrested for public intoxication.

Umm… Sorry to interrupt your reading, but I must interject…

Doesn’t everyone occasionally walk around with their eyes closed? I know I do. It’s a little game I play: I’ll be walking along and perhaps see a tree off in the distance. I’ll close my eyes and see (or rather, NOT see?) 1) how close I get before chickening out and opening my eyes and 2) whether or not I am able to maintain a reasonably straight line of direction.

Of course, I check to make sure no one is around to see me.

Okay, carry on.

The skinny on dating
Upon learning that a young woman was swimming naked in an apartment pool, concerned deputies rushed to Ellwood Beach Drive to investigate.

Although the woman, 30, in question was in her bathing suit by the time authorities arrived on the scene at 6:40 p.m., she admitted being naked earlier “for, like, 10 seconds,” she said. The inebriated woman, unable to care for herself, was arrested for public intoxication.

While deputies transported the woman to jail, according to the report, she asked advice about her current dating relationships.

Bruins. Feh.
Working on a tip of a subject disturbing the peace in Goleta in the early morning hours, deputies found the subject at a Hollister Avenue motel. The young man, a UCLA student, was behaving suspiciously when found on the motel balcony.

The forthcoming male, 19, told deputies he was hopped up on “Ecstasy.” But, he added, he was hoping the Xanax and pot would help him “come down” from his high.

He was arrested just after 7 a.m. for being under the influence of a controlled substance.

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Fire in Montecito (Tea Fire)

I ran into my neighbor around 5:15pm today, who was just leaving to head up into the hills and admire the full moon. While there, she actually saw the fire break out off in the distance.

Images on KEYT’s live coverage not looking good. Many houses - estates - have burned, and areas on Westmont’s campus are also on fire.

Power went out downtown; my area has not been affected, save for flickering lights a couple of times. Just in case, I’ve pulled out my headlamp. I love my headlamp, but hate having a reason such as this to pull it out.

Fire info:
Google map
Edhat
Independent
CHP
Montecito Fire Dept.
NOAA satellite images
California Fire Incident information (no info yet about this fire on the site)
local radio

UPDATE:
* This fire is now being referred to as the Tea Fire, 300+ acres burned, as of 8:30pm.
* Cal Fire website now has Tea Fire info.

Filed under NaBloPoMo, my town, alert | Comments (4)