Santa Barbara County – After a February 4th appeal for public assistance in locating a third suspect in a string of grand theft burglaries from multiple agricultural operations in Santa Barbara County rural areas, Santa Barbara County Sheriffs received an anonymous tip leading them to the residence of Shaun Axe, 32, who was arrested and booked on charges of burglary, grand theft, felony vandalism, and conspiracy.
Travis Grant
In her outreach to the community at large for any information leading to the arrest of Axe, SBSD Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover earlier reported the arrests of Travis Grant, 30, and Ernest Johnson, 33, both associates of Axe. All three had been the subject of a protracted investigation by the Rural Crimes Unit into what Hoover described as “a series of burglaries at several farms in the unincorporated area” of the county. Evidence pointing to the trio involved the Christmas Eve 2013 theft of more than $70,000 in tools, equipment, and vehicles from a working farm area. The following day, a similar theft took place at another agricultural operation when the suspects were confronted by farm employees who witnessed them fleeing the scene of the crime and provided descriptions to law enforcement.
Pursuant to those events and the evidence gathered over the intervening weeks, Grant and Johnson were both arrested and charged with multiple burglary and conspiracy counts on January 29th. It was only 24 hours after Hoover’s appeal to the public for assistance in locating Axe that he was located and taken into custody. All three remain in custody with bail set at $20,000 each.
Ernest Johnson
Photos: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
Read more:
Santa Maria Times: Anonymous tip leads to arrest of man wanted in connection to farm burglaries
