November 26 – Santa Barbara – It’s common knowledge that being a residential landlord isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. Sure, there’s the delight of receiving monthly income in the form of rent checks from tenants, but when those tenants are openly and actively engaged in illegal activities, your real property can become the focus of unsolicited law enforcement attention.
Kathleen Lino, David Gregorio, and Efrain Lopez.
According to Santa Barbara Police Department Public Information Officer Sgt. Riley Harwood, a residence near downtown Santa Barbara has fallen under official scrutiny as “over the course of several months the Santa Barbara Police Department’s Narcotics Unit received citizen complaints about frequent drug-related foot traffic” at the home.
With neighbors expressing concern about the influx of criminal activity in the area and demanding police intervention, “investigation by SBPD Narcotics detectives, Gang Suppression Team officers, and Criminal Impact Team officers” indicated that a portion of the property in question—while under construction—had been knowingly rented by the landlord to tenants presumptively involved in the use and sale of controlled substances from the property. The natural upshot of this commercial enterprise, naturally, was that numerous customers for controlled substances and illegal drugs had developed an ongoing collective presence at the property.
Luz Zapian, Tamme Dishion, and Evette Vargas.
Pursuant to surveillance and investigation, detectives served a search warrant on the premises on November 19th and 20th. On those occasions, no fewer than 25 individuals were contacted by police, including a 15-year old female who had been previously reported as a missing person.
While the minor female was safely returned to her family, a number of folks were arrested and booked into Santa Barbara County Jail, including:
- Rodolfo Garcia, 28, for violation of probation and vandalism, booked on a no-bail hold.
- Julio Jose Ochoa, 23, for violation of probation and possession of metal knuckles, booked on a no-bail hold.
- David Calixtro-Fuentes, 25, booked for failure to appear and possession of controlled substance, with bail set at $5,000.
- Kathleen Deanna Lino, 26, cited for possession of methamphetamine and possession of narcotics paraphernalia.
- David Toscano Gregorio, 43, cited for possession of methamphetamine and possession of narcotics paraphernalia.
- Efrain Ward Lopez Jr., 27, possession of methamphetamine and possession of a knife in plain view in public.
- Luz Maria Zapian, 23, for possession of narcotics paraphernalia.
- Tamme Anne Dishion, 47, for being under the influence of a controlled substance.
- Evette Ann Vargas, 38, for resisting or delaying an officer.
Harwood noted in his report that “the property owner was warned about maintaining a public nuisance.” Ah, the joys of a landlord…
Photos: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
