Three men were arrested for allegedly kidnapping a SoCal teenager and holding him for ransom on Friday. The suspects were identified as Santa Maria residents: -Fidel Jesús Patino Jaimes, 22 -Jair Tomás Ramos Domínguez, 26 -Ezequiel Felix López, 27 The victim was identified as a 17-year-old boy from San Bernardino County, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. On the morning of Sept. 18, the three suspects allegedly caused a car crash involving the teen boy. As the boy exited his vehicle, the men grabbed him and forced him into their SUV, court documents said. Later that afternoon, the boy’s ..read more

Jeffrey Aukee, a patient at Loma Linda University Medical Center, needed a kidney, and while his daughter was ready to be his donor, she wasn't his match. Over in Santa Maria, Carolyn Turton at Sutter’s California Pacific Medical Center also needed a kidney and her son wasn't a match. So each parent and child duo signed up for an exchange program, and in March, the pairs matched and the double swap took place. Aukee's daughter donated to Turton and Turton's son donated to Aukee. They say they're bonded for life. Kimberly Cheng reports for the KTLA 5 News at 10 on April 22, 2021 ..read more

A federal judge sentenced a former Santa Barbara County resident to three months in prison Monday for fatally shooting a northern elephant seal in the head in 2019, prosecutors announced. Jordan Gerbich, 30, drove to an elephant viewing area next to Piedras Blancas Marine Reserve and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary near San Simeon on Sept. 28, 2019, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California. He brought a .45-caliber pistol and a flashlight. Gerbich opened fire on an elephant seal resting on the beach in the Piedras Blancas rookery, leaving the mammal ..read more

A high school basketball game between two Central Section rivals took an ugly turn Tuesday night, as a chant from one of the student sections led to a confrontation between administrators from the schools. Just before the final buzzer of St. Joseph’s 74-57 victory over visiting Righetti in the regular season finale for the two Santa Maria teams, some fans started chanting, “Where’s your passport?” According to the Santa Maria Times, the chant came from the Righetti student section and was apparently directed toward St. Joseph players. The newspaper reports that the St. Joseph roster includes o ..read more

Deputies arrested a 19-year-old man Friday on suspicion of setting fire to a shed at a Santa Maria church in what is being investigated as a hate crime, authorities said. Gage Rowdy Tuttle was booked on suspicion of arson, vandalism and hate crimes, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said in a written statement. No hometown was listed for the suspect. Reports of a structure fire brought deputies and firefighters to the Winepress Church, 896 Cambria Ave. They found a shed behind the church in flames. Deputies also noticed a man, later identified as Tuttle, sitting near the smoldering str ..read more

The Los Angeles division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation warned the public Thursday about scammers who are using the agency’s real phone number when making fraudulent demands for money. “The scammer impersonates a government official and uses intimidation tactics to demand payment of money purportedly owed to the government,” the FBI said of the scheme in which its number is displayed on the victim’s caller ID. Victims have been told there is a federal warrant for their arrest that would be dismissed if they make an immediate payment, according to the FBI. But the agency said it does no ..read more

Five people are dead after a feud in Santa Maria, California, turned violent, the city’s police department said in a news release Monday. Police said the incident stemmed from an ongoing dispute between mobile home resident Claude Adams, 64, and two men identified as Kurt Bracke and Richard Hanen. On Friday, Adams was evicted from the mobile home park, police said. Adams is accused of fatally shooting Bracke, 70, and Hanen, 78, at the park’s clubhouse area, police said. Santa Maria Lt. Paul Van Meel told CNN it is not clear if Bracke and Hanen had a landlord-tenant dispute. Investigators told ..read more

A third body has been found in the rubble of a burned-out mobile home in California, bringing to five the number of dead in a shooting and fire that began during an argument at a pitch-and-putt golf course, authorities said. Santa Maria police identified Kurt Bracke, 70, and Richard Hanen, 78, as the victims who were fatally shot. Residents told The Santa Maria Times there had been a long-standing feud between the two men and the shooter that boiled over Friday at the golf course of the Casa Grande Mobile Estates in Santa Maria, a coastal city about 140 miles (225 kilometers) northwest of Los ..read more

Eighteen years ago, Mark Andersen lost both of his legs in a boating accident. On Monday, the lifelong baseball fan will walk to the mound and throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Dodger Stadium. Andersen grew up attending Dodgers games with his father and has remained a dedicated fan. A new pair of prosthetic legs further cemented the Santa Maria man’s devotion to the team. The use of prosthetics does not always allow for comfort. Stationary prosthetic feet have made it difficult for Andersen to walk and run. But over time, the prosthetics have gotten better. When prosthetics company Ottob ..read more

Deputies arrested a man and seized a large cache of drugs, along with cash and a stolen handgun, while serving a warrant at the home of a probationer in Santa Maria on Tuesday, officials said. Filogencio Mendoza Diaz, 24, was booked on suspicion of a numerous drug- and firearm-related offenses, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department said in a written statement. Filogencio Mendoza Dias, 24, of Santa Maria, pictured in a photo released by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office following his arrest on April 23, 2019.An investigation led narcotics detectives to serve a search warrant abo ..read more