Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies seize two illegal weapons

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. -- The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office confiscated two illegal weapons while on call for two separate incidents last week.

Deputies were first dispatched to the 1000 block of Edison Street in Santa Ynez around 3 p.m. on Jan. 25 for reports of suspicious subjects in a vehicle, according to sheriff's spokeswoman Raquel Zick.

Deputies located three subjects associated with the vehicle, and a search of the car uncovered a loaded, un-serialized "ghost gun" and narcotics paraphernalia, Zick said.

The deputies arrested two adult male subjects and released the third juvenile subject to his guardian. Marcus Sanchez, 22 of Santa Ynez, was booked at the Santa Barbara County Main Jail on one felony charge and three misdemeanor charges. He has since been released on a $35,000 bail, according to Zick.

The second subject, 19-year-old Santa Maria resident Arthur Pichardo, was booked at the jail on four misdemeanor charges, but was later released without bail, Zick said.

A second unrelated incident occurred two days later on Jab. 27 in Buellton. Deputies were dispatched at approximately 12:10 p.m. to a citizen report of a suspicious subject in a vehicle.

The deputies stopped the vehicle with three occupants inside. During a search of the car, officers found a loaded handgun underneath the driver's seat and a large amount of cannabis, according to Zick.

Deputies arrested the driver, 49-year-old Johnny Boswell of Auberry, and issued citations to the other two passengers for the cannabis, Zick said.

Boswell was booked for three misdemeanor charges but later cite released, according to Zick.