Jesus Piceno
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY — 27-year-old Santa Maria resident Jesus Piceno probably won’t be residing in that city much longer.
Bobby Johnson
Following his recent contacts with Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department deputies, it might be reasonable to surmise he’ll be headed to a dormitory bunk managed by the California Department of Corrections
It all started on August 4th when SBSD Special Investigation Bureau and Compliance Response Team detectives arrived at a home in Santa Maria to conduct a probation search.
Jorge Garcia
Inside the residence, cops discovered 32-year-old Bobby Johnson. According to SBSD Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover, Johnson was “found to be in possession of a concealed firearm,” and was arrested and promptly booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on charges of carrying a concealed firearm and “armed criminal action.”
During the ensuing investigation, detectives determined that 27-year-old Jesus Piceno, a felony probationer, was the source of Johnson’s mini-arsenal, and a “be on the lookout” broadcast was issued to local area law enforcement.
Shortly thereafter, Piceno was spotted by Santa Maria Police patrol officers who endeavored to conduct a traffic stop on the suspect’s vehicle. But Piceno was having none of that, and led the cops on a high-speed chase through city streets which the officers wisely terminated in the interest of public safety.
Display of confiscated guns
Five days later, on August 9th, deputies served a search warrant on a second Santa Maria residence where 37-year-old Jorge Garcia was found in possession of “an illegally-modified AK-47 and an AR-15 style assault rifle” as well as assorted illegal high-capacity magazines.
Garcia was arrested and transported to Santa Barbara County Jail where he was booked on a charge of possession of an unlawful weapon.
It was later the same day that deputies again spotted Piceno at a third residence, whereupon a secure perimeter was established. As the cops tried to talk Piceno into a peaceful surrender, he fled out a second-story window, and entered an occupied apartment nearby.
Unwilling to trust the safety of the apartment’s occupants to Piceno’s judgment, officers made a forced entry into the unit as Piceno jumped out another window and attempted to flee across adjacent rooftops, ultimately jumping to the ground where he was tackled by waiting cops and subdued.
Following medical treatment, Piceno was transported to Santa Barbara County Jail, where he was booked on charges of false imprisonment, burglary of an occupied dwelling, resisting arrest, felony vehicle evading, felony child endangerment, selling firearms without a license, felon in possession of a firearm, felon in possession of ammunition, possession of stolen property, and possession of a stolen vehicle.
Photos: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
