Man enters station with illegal knives to reclaim iPod

By R.L. McCullough
on Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 11:57 am

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SANTA BARBARA – Santa Barbara police made an easy bust Thursday, when an alleged gang member came into the station to reclaim an iPod he had reportedly stolen from a local business.

Two days earlier, Oscar Bello Torres, 19, was cited for carrying an open beer and gave police his consent to take custody of the iPod he was carrying to determine whether it had been stolen.

Following the citation, Torres left the scene and officers discovered a 12-inch knife lying on the ground beneath a nearby vehicle. Forensic technicians later recovered a fingerprint from the knife that matched Torres’ left hand.

Investigators also determined that the iPod taken from Torres had, in fact, been stolen from a local business a month earlier.

According to Lt. Paul McCaffrey, Santa Barbara Police Department’s public information officer, Torres strolled into the police station at 3:40 the following afternoon to reclaim his iPod. He was arrested for possession of stolen property and was discovered to be carrying four double-edged knives under his shirt in his waistband.

He was then charged with possession of illegal knives with the enhancement of criminal activity in furtherance of a known street gang.