Gregory Jensen
Santa Barbara County – Probation and Parole compliance checks are commonly a matter of routine, but when the Santa Barbara Probation Department urgently requested help from the Compliance Response Team early this morning at a residence in the City of Lompoc, things were anything but routine.
According to Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover, the home was occupied by Gregory Jensen, a 55-year-old fellow on felony probation for “numerous violations, including possession of an explosive device.”
Police display what they confiscated from Jensen
What began as a simple probation search quickly identified “suspicious objects” within the residence, including pipes and an inert grenade. It was at that time that units from the SBSD Bomb Squad were called for and a “protective perimeter” around the home was established by Lompoc Police units.
Once the Bomb Squad determined that the suspicious objects were no threat, “a thorough search of the residence” was then conducted, revealing something of an arsenal of items including “ammunition, a homemade ‘zip’ gun, a loaded shotgun shell, and Outlaw Motorcycle Gang indicia,” the possession of which constitute a violation of Jensen’s probation terms.
Pursuant to that determination, Jensen was taken into custody and arrested for probation violation and being a felon in possession of ammunition, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and manufacturing and possessing a zip gun. In addition to those charges, Jensen faces potential charges relative to being a gang member.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
