Photo: Amber Manzo (Facebook)
July 12, 2021 – Santa Barbara
As if retailers nationwide haven’t faced enormous challenges to simply keep their doors open over the past 18 months, the epidemic of shoplifting throughout the state of California certainly increases the difficulty of remaining in business.
But none of those economic realities seem to hold much sway with 21-year-old Santa Barbara resident Amber Manzo, who by all appearances has been engaged in business endeavors of her own. According to Santa Barbara Police Department spokesman Lt. Kenneth Kushner, Manzo has been actively and repeatedly shoplifting various items from a downtown area sporting goods store and then posting the merchandise for sale on various internet sites.
This all came to light on the afternoon of July 9th when SBPD foot patrol officers responded to a call for service at a popular State Street sporting goods store and made contact with Manzo who was found to be in possession of several purloined items as well as drug paraphernalia. Earlier the same day, another local area “high-end” retailer reported “a purse being stolen.”
The ensuing search of Manzo’s nearby vehicle lead the cops to discover the stolen purse as well as “additional items stolen from two separate downtown stores.”
Manzo was arrested at the scene and transported to Santa Barbara County Jail, where she was booked on four separate counts of shoplifting and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Photo: Courtesy Mountain Air Sports, Santa Barbara
