Santa Barbara Drug Raid Leads to Missing Teen

Santa Barbara Police raided a home on the 1400 block of Almond Avenue on November 20 that led to the arrests of three individuals and six others cited. The raid also led detectives to a local teen that had been reported as missing.

The 15-year-old girl, described by police as a habitual runaway, was reunited with her family soon after law enforcement raided the home.

For several months, police had received citizen complaints about frequent drug and gang related activities at the Almond Avenue home. That’s when the Santa Barbara Police Department Narcotics Detectives, Gang Suppression Team Officers, and Criminal Impact Team officers got involved.

Investigators discovered that the property was under construction and had been rented to tenants who were involved in drug activity. These tenants then allowed other drug users to congregate there.

When police served a narcotics-related warrant they found 25 people inside the residence.

Police arrested Rodolfo Garcia, 28 years old, Julio Jose Ochoa, 23 years old, and David Calixtro-Fuentes, age 25, all from Santa Barbara. All three were booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail for outstanding felony warrants and other charges unrelated to the drug raid.

No bail has been set for either Garcia or Ochoa. Fuentes’ bail was set to $5,000.

The Santa Barbara Police Department released the following information regarding six people that were given misdemeanor citations:

• Kathleen Deanna Lino, age 26, of Santa Barbara, for possession of methamphetamine and possession of narcotics paraphernalia

• David Toscano Gregorio, age 43, of Santa Barbara, for possession of methamphetamine and possession of narcotics paraphernalia

• Efrain Ward Lopez Jr., age 27, of Santa Barbara, for possession of methamphetamine and possession of a knife in plain view in public (SBMC 9.10.010)

• Luz Maria Zapian, age 23, of Santa Barbara, for possession of narcotics paraphernalia

• Tamme Anne Dishion, age 47, of Santa Barbara, for being under the influence of a controlled substance

• Evette Ann Vargas, age 38, of Lompoc, for resisting or delaying an officer.

Sgt. Riley Harwood said methamphetamine related charges that used to be felonies are now considered misdemeanors due to voter approved proposition 47.

Nieghbors, afraid to give their names, said they were glad the police responded to their calls. One man said he would now feel safer walking at night.