Renee Zacarias
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY — In what may be reasonably categorized to the “some people simply refuse to learn” department, on the night of February 13th Santa Maria Police Department patrol officers attempted to conduct a routine traffic stop of a driver who had committed a Vehicle Code violation while traveling through the city’s downtown commercial district and quickly found themselves in a high-speed pursuit situation.
According to the media reports filed by the Santa Maria Police Department Watch Commander, “the driver failed to stop and recklessly evaded marked police units,” which clearly endangered all other motorists on the city streets. Given that hazard and the unpredictable path taken by the speeding suspect, “the pursuit was terminated.”
As is often the case, however, even without black-and-whites with sirens blaring and red lights flashing on his tail, the speeding evader soon lost control of the car—which by then officers had determined was reported as stolen—and crashed into a series of cars parked legally along the roadside.
It didn’t take long for the patrol officers to catch up at that point to discover 21-year-old parolee Renee Zacarias behind the wheel.
Zacarias was promptly taken into custody, whereupon cursory investigation of his person established his possession of drug paraphernalia, compounding his plethora of parole violations as prescribed by his recent alma mater, the California Department of Corrections.
Zacarias, a reputed member of a known criminal street gang, was then transported to Santa Barbara County Jail where he was booked on charges of recklessly evading police, resisting arrest, possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of drug paraphernalia and parole violation.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
