Solvang Man Disarmed After Threatening PG&E Workers

A Solvang man accused of threatening PG&E crews during the recent heavy rain storms could be facing serious criminal charges.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department says 60 year old Dale Karr is the host at Nojoqui Falls County Park and lived in a mobile home on the park property.

The Sheriff’s Department says Karr had been drinking when he called PG&E to report that he had lost his power in the storm.

“About 9:30pm deputies received a call via Santa Barbara Dispatch that there was a gentleman who possibly armed himself with a shotgun and was standing in the street”, says Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Shawn O’Grady.

Three Sheriff’s Department deputies responded carefully to Karr’s location not knowing what the threat was all about.

“Especially when there’s a call with weapons”, Lt. O’Grady says, “there is the high probability that something could go wrong.”

The deputies were able to peacefully detain Karr and confiscate several weapons from his home without incident.

“Its a dangerous job but these guys are out there 24-7, protecting the public”, O’Grady says about the three deputies who responded to the call, “this is one of the aspects of the job, the deputies did a great job, taking the guns away and then keeping the public safe for the rest of the evening.”

PG&E released the following statement about the incident with Karr:

“The safety of our employees and our customers comes first and out of an abundance of caution for the individual who was calling, as well our employees who were working through the night to repair storm damage, we took immediate action to inform law enforcement of this threat.”

Karr was not arrested and he has not been seen at his home at the Nojoqui Falls County Park since the incident.

The Sheriff’s Department says it will be up to the District Attorney’s Office to decide if Karr will face any criminal charges for making the threat.