Police Chief Bernard Melekian Receives National Leadership Award noozhawk.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from noozhawk.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Environmental Crimes Alleged at Illegal Cannabis Farm on Tepusquet Road East of Santa Maria
Alleged environmental crimes occurred at an illegal cannabis operation in the 1400 block of Tepusquet Road east of Santa Maria. (California Department of Fish and Wildlife photo) By Janene Scully, Noozhawk North County Editor | @JaneneScully
May 22, 2021
| 5:58 p.m.
Authorities eradicated nearly 8,000 cannabis plants and destroyed more than 300 pounds of illegal processed cannabis flower at an illegal cannabis cultivation site east of Santa Maria last month.
The parcel, in the 1400 block of Tepusquet Road, sits in an environmentally sensitive area that is home to native plants, fish and wildlife species.
Gang members murder college students attempting to sell pot in Goleta
February 10, 2021
By JOSH FRIEDMAN
Two Santa Barbara gang members are accused of shooting and killing a pair of 19-year-old college students who were attempting to sell marijuana in Goleta.
Prosecutors have charged the gang members with two counts of murder each over a drug deal that turned into a deadly “robbery rip-off.”
On Jan. 7, a gunman or gunmen shot Enzo Marino Rastelli and Jasper Pieter van der Meulen on Burtis Street in Goleta. Responders found Rastelli and van der Meulen wounded inside a vehicle.
Rastelli died at the scene, and Van Der Meulen succumbed to his injuries three weeks later.
Posted By Peter Johnson on Wed, Jan 27, 2021 at 4:18 PM Santa Maria officials say the city’s topography makes it ripe for flooding under the right conditions and is encouraging residents to be ready for such a scenario in advance. click to enlarge FILE PHOTO COURTESY OF SANTA BARBARA COUNTY FIRE FLAT LANDSCAPE Santa Maria officials say the city’s flat topography makes it susceptible to flooding, especially under the heavy rain conditions the region is currently experiencing. As of Jan. 27, the National Weather Service was predicting heavy rains in Santa Maria through Thursday and issued a wind advisory in Santa Barbara County until Jan. 28 at 4 p.m. It predicted winds as strong as 30 miles per hour, with gusts as high as 45 mil