The Weekly Dump 8.16.19

Gunfight at Taco Bell in Downtown Santa Cruz

Tuesday night around 11PM, reports came in about multiple shots fired at the drive through of the Taco Bell on Pacific and Laurel in downtown Santa Cruz. Shell casings were found at the scene and witnesses reported seeing 2 groups of men shooting at each other. One group of men in the car left the scene before SCPD arrived. One witness reported seeing a man hiding behind parked cars and shooting at the men in the vehicle.

Shooting Victim Found on Mission Street

Around the same time as the Taco Bell shooting on Tuesday night was being reported, another report came in about a victim suffering from a gunshot wound on the 300 block of Mission Street. The victim called SCPD after reporting he had been shot in the leg near the bypass of Highway 1, basically near the corner of Mission and Chestnut. The victims car crashed after being struck at least 4 times by bullets and had to be towed. SCPD would not confirm if the two shootings are related. Nobody was arrested and apparently they have no suspects in either incident. The victim was transported to a trauma center for the gunshot wound to his leg. SCPD reportedly knows the victim to be a gang member, so the shooting(s) are possibly gang related.

High Risk Search Warrant in Watsonville

Last Friday afternoon, the Watsonville Police Special Response Team served a high-risk search warrant on a 26 year old man who is currently out on bail for murder, and apparently continued to sell drugs from his home while out on bail. The warrant came after police received numerous complaints about illegal drug sales being run out of his house. At least two violent confrontations involving firearms have occurred at this residence directly related to the illegal sale of marijuana. Neighbors have reported drugs being sold to minors, with four schools located within close proximity to the home. In July 2018, this home was the center of a murder investigation after an attempted home invasion robbery. Because of the possibility of firearms being inside the home and the two prior violent incidents, Watsonville police locked down the neighborhood and asked residents to shelter in place.

Good Morning Santa Cruz!

Sunday morning around 10AM, SCPD made a high risk stop near Union and Center streets in downtown Santa Cruz and arrested 2 men at gunpoint for being in a stolen car. That’s all I know! Of course this is apparently so common and ubiquitous now locally it doesn’t make the news. Not newsworthy. I think it is! Is this what they mean by crime is down?

Taking a Turn For the Worse

Saturday afternoon around 3:30PM, Santa Cruz Sheriff’s deputies responded to the 2400 block of Daniva Court in Santa Cruz after they got a report about a 44 year old man who was reported to be suicidal and in possession of a gun. When deputies arrived, he was no longer there but he was quickly located and a pursuit took place. During the pursuit, the man tried to ram a patrol vehicle and drove recklessly before finally being stopped and apprehended. He was arrested on a variety of domestic abuse charges, assault and battery, resisting arrest, DUI, and more. Nine charges in all. Last check he was still in jail on a $25k bond.

The Gift That Keeps on Giving

Monday afternoon around 1PM, Santa Cruz Sheriff’s deputies responded to the 200 block of Middleton Drive in Boulder Creek for a report of a prowler. When the homeowner confronted the male suspect, he claimed to live there and told the woman to leave. Out of fear for her safety and for her children’s safety, she left and asked her father for assistance. When her father came to the home and confronted the suspect, he was pepper sprayed by the suspect and a fight ensued with the suspect chasing the father off with a baseball bat. The suspect was eventually arrested and booked into County Jail. He’s been arrested 11 times since 2015. He was arrested twice in 48 hours just last month.

Fatal Auto Accident Shuts Down Highway One Near Davenport

Sunday afternoon around 5:30PM, a driver that was recklessly passing vehicles on Highway 1 near Davenport smashed head on into another car driving the opposite direction. The crash happened just north of the Scott Creek Bridge, five miles north of Davenport Landing. The reckless driver was killed and died at the scene, while two people in the other car suffered serious injuries and were flown to a trauma center in Palo Alto.

Seven Year Old Boy Taken to Trauma Center After Being Hit By Car in Davenport

A 7 year old boy visiting with his family from Hong Kong was hit by a car on Sunday around 6PM while walking on the west shoulder of Highway 1 near Davenport. He was taken by helicopter to Stanford Medical Center. The cause of the crash is still under investigation. The driver did stop at the scene and cooperated with authorities.

Drunk Smashes Into Parked SCPD Patrol Car

Monday morning around 3:30AM, a suspected drunk driver in a van plowed into the back of an SCPD patrol SUV near West Cliff Drive and Merced. The SCPD patrol car was unoccupied at the time as officers as officers were responding to a call for service at a nearby location. The 27 year old woman was arrested for DUI and her vehicle was towed.

Drug Delivery Right Next to Santa Cruz High School

Last Friday night around 9:30PM, a 23 year old male and a 26 year old male were arrested on the 200 block of Myrtle street for for basically selling drugs out of their car. About 60 Xanax pills, suboxone strips, several baggies with heroin, meth and a working digital scale were located on subjects and in the vehicle. One cell phone was seized due to incoming text messages indicative of drug sales. Both subjects were transported to County Jail.

Cat and Cloud Robbed Overnight

Sometime early Saturday morning, someone broke a window at Cat and Cloud coffee on the 3600 block of Portola Drive and stole about $1300 from the business. Santa Cruz Sheriff’s deputies have no suspects and nobody was arrested.

Dumb and Dumber in Watsonville

A couple was arrested at Calabasas Elementary school in Watsonville last week on a number of charges. The first involved a driver who was found parked at the school without a drivers license and in a vehicle with false registration. Another person was called and arrived to drive the vehicle home but that person also had a misdemeanor no bail warrant for his arrest. The original driver was cited and released on scene, while the second person was taken into custody and booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail. No idea what happened to the car.

Thief Busted on Pacific Avenue

A 41 year old woman was busted at a business on the 1200 block of Pacific Avenue for robbery, resisting arrest, and giving a false ID to police. She was taken to jail.

The Brady’s Bunch

Sunday night around 11PPM, SCPD responded to Brady’s for a report of a drunk customer assaulting an employee after being asked to leave and refusing to do so.

Brawling For Breadsticks

Saturday night around 10:30PM, multiple reports came about about a brawl next to the Little Caesars near Canfield and Barson involving about 10 people physically fighting. Multiple units were sent and witnesses reported hearing bottles being broken with at least one person injured. I think at least one person resisted arrest and was eventually detained.

Thief Steals Phone From Safeway Employee

One of the probation department’s low hanging pieces of fruit went to the Safeway on 41st Avenue, walked into the managers office, and stole an employee’s cell phone from a desk. He left on foot but was caught on surveillance. He also apparently left some paperwork behind with his name on it, helping Santa Cruz Sheriff’s deputies figure out who he was. Was he filling out a job application? With the help of the Capitola Police Department, they found the guy in front of the Capitola Mall, with the cell phone he stole in his possession. He was arrested for commercial burglary and for violating the terms of his probation. Did the terms include not being a total dumbass?

Where to Sign the Recall Petitions This Week!

Saturday, Aug 17th
West Cliff Surf Statue
9:30 am – 11:30 am

Saturday, Aug 17th
Carbonera Neighborhood
Corner of Isbel Dr. and Jocelyn Ct
10 am – 1 pm

Saturday, Aug 17th
West Side Farmer’s Market
Mission Street extension and Western Drive
10 am – 12 pm

Sunday, Aug 18th
West Cliff (Between LightHouse and Dog Beach)
9:30 am – 11:30 am

Sunday, Aug 18th
Pacheco Dog Park (Prospect Heights)
10:00 am – 1:00 pm

Monday, Aug 19th
Whole Foods (off Soquel Ave)
911 Soquel Ave
4:30 pm – 6:30 pm

If you haven’t signed yet, please do! Every signature helps get us one step closer.

Weekly Shoutouts and Thanks!

I just want to thank Surf City Barber Shop, Stockwell Cellars, Central Coast Welding and Fabrication, Java Junction Coffee Roasting, Union Foodie Truck, KSCO, Bone-A-Fide Dog Care, Brooks Properties, Carolyn Livingston Campaign Services, Damon Bruder Construction, Biomarcommunications, Jane Becker, and all the other local businesses and business owners who are actively supporting the recall efforts. Please support these brave local businesses, who are being stalked and harassed by recall critics for simply exercising their first amendment freedom of speech rights. They deserve our ongoing support and our business.

Also thanks and kudos to David Plumlee Terry Spodick, Don Reimann, Robert Stone, David Quesada, Scott Richards, Elizabeth Clifton, Carol Polhamus, and everyone else who has donated their time and money to the recall campaign. Your contributions are very much appreciated!

The Santa Mierda Podcast Network

Be sure to check out the Santa Mierda Podcast Network! We’ve got the latest “Unfiltered” by yours truly, as well as a new podcast, “Untreated” from Sharona. You can find the Santa Mierda Podcast Network on SoundCloud. And Apple Music. And Spotify. It’s free so check it out and give it a listen! Next new podcast should be coming this Sunday night!

Check Out Our Twitter Feed for More Mierda!

Be sure to check out and follow our Twitter feed for even more mierda! Even though the Dump only comes your way once a week, I try to post breaking news and updates on other days as well. So check us out and follow us on Twitter for even more updates about real time news in Santa Cruz you might not otherwise hear about.

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25 Comments

  1. Just goes to show SC has enough problems to then have to deal with “ people” that don’t even have respect for themselves. More of the same on my shift I came across a lady sleeping on the sidewalk technically on a property I Gaurd she had a sign saying she was beat up by the government she needs a lawyer and it’s been 6 years that she hasn’t got help. I just left her alone I do have a soft spot for women and she wasn’t do anything besides laying on the ground. And that “ couriers” bike is still drawing attention I came across a “ guy” looking at it of course he gave me attitude I tried to tell him “ don’t you know how many bikes get stolen ever day here in SC the bikes don’t steal themselves. He just kept on cursing at me and trying to insult me anyway he could he then told me he was a “ skin head” I just had to ask well how much does that pay?? This shift is gettn old really quick the beginning and middle of the months are quite to a lil rowdy the end of the month I’ve noticed cab get crazy. I here it’s cause these “people” get there checks in the begging of the month but the money doesn’t last then very long. YOUR DOING A KICK BUTT JOB BEN!!

  2. Austin Twohig

    Any thoughts on the redistricting article in the senile?

    • The most amusing part of the Sentinel article on redistricting was Chris Krohn insinuating that he would be open to considering options for district elections. Germany signed a non aggression pact with Russia prior to the start of Word War II. Germany’s intent was similar to Krohn’s.

    • I didn’t see the Senile article, but I did see one in Good Times. I actually planned to discuss it this week, but with all the shootings and other stuff, I decided to hold off and discuss it next week. I didn’t want it to get lost in the usual swamp news. Thanks!

  3. Part of me hates to read your reports. The comfortable ostrich position works really well until reality steps across our personal property lines – which of course it is doing throughout the county.
    Being informed with actual facts should challenge and motivate to action. I believe you are doing that, so thank you. Our town is worth defending.
    Keep up the good work and know you are appreciated.

    • Thanks! I enjoy doing this about as much as I enjoy scrubbing my toilet. But it needs to be done and somebody’s gotta do it, and I’m not one to wait around for someone to do something for me.

  4. The Sentinel is reporting that two young men have been arrested in connection with 4 of the recent shootings. One
    lives in Watsonville, the other in San Jose. Today’s riddle; why is downtown Santa Cruz where they shoot each other?

  5. More of the same. young (street people) trying to tell me how to do my job as one of this guys buddy’s is wearing a makeshift mask trying to intimidate me. Then I get the usual “ take off your badge and let’s go somewhere to fight” or the “ when I see you on the street I’m going to kill you” mostly cause they’ve come on to a property that’s has a Gaurd on it. And they’ve been told to leave. Oh and the guy with the mask threatened to shoot me with a .50 caliber I guess a 9mm doesn’t sound as tough to say.

    More creepy conversations I have the misfortune of hearing-I over heard a young “ street” girl telling another guy about a guy that needs to get beat up then she goes on to say “ and his family to”. These “ people “ have plans just not the right kind. Then I find a “ person “ sleeping but of course he says he is not sleeping even though I found him cause he was snoring. He then goes on to say it’s raining and he is getting shelter. 1. It’s maybe heavy fog tonight if that 2. I don’t have guidelines based on weather. But then this “ guy” tells me he’s a police officer. I usually pretend to call 911 and it usually get these “ people” to move on this guy was getting rather irate rather fast so I did call PD but he left the property in the usual manner calling me every name in the book and threatening my life.

    3:51 am. Wow these “ people “ have nice full suspension mountain bikes.( tan in color) btw. This guy and girl each walking a bike but I could tell the bike the guy has is a fresh stolen the bikes seat is so high the guy has trouble getting on it to ride it. My routes are not that large I only Gaurd so many property’s but I get my share of Santa Mierda.

    • Speaking of creeps in masks, I had a guy come into my business to wait in line to buy something with a full bandana over his face and his hoodie pulled up over his head. I immeadiatly reached for my phone to call 911 thinking he was going to rob us. I told him “if you’re going to be in here, you gotta remove the your mask and hood.” Surprisingly. he listened and pulled it off. After figeting and pacing in line (it was apparent he was on meth) it was finally his turn at the register. I keep my eye on him during the whole transaction (in the back of my mind wondering if at best he would grab the tip jar and run, at worst, pull out a weapon and demand the money in the register). Luckily he just calmly bought something and left. Maybe too many witnesses at the time, who knows. But im tired of wondering what’s going to happen next.

      • Wow! I was in Starbucks near sunny cove and an obvious transient, whom was fixing up his coffee near me, commented on my novelty shirt. which was fine but then said” I have a really cool spiderman mask” I replied ” i have a spiderman purse” . I was just playing along, then he proceeds to ask me to come with him to the beach where this spiderman mask was and how he would love to give it to me. this is some funny shit. its also scary, what if i were some naive young girl? who nows what he had in store for me. I told him sorry I’m with my family on jump bikes. so weird, any-who I thought I’d share since there are this comments about masks. my family and I had a good chuckle out of it. Perhaps this is a new trend amongst the homeless. GOOD JOB GUYS!

  6. Sympathy to poor Cat & Cloud….
    About that house in Watsonville with all the drug activity as well as sheltering a person out on bail for Murder!!! Can’t the home’s owners be pressured into taking some responsibility for what takes place and who lives there? Out on bail for murder?

  7. 2:09am aa I was following to “ guys” on one property I Gaurd and just doing a round one of the guys throws a bottle of beer in some bushes right next to a bunch of dumpsters. I said to the “guy” you know the dumpsters are just right there “guy” says “ I don’t give a F**k” so I said if you don’t like this town your wandering thru then just leave. He said “ no I like robbing people here”. Black t-shirt Witt white writing cut off khakis pants he was with another “guy” in a black hoodie and light colored back back. Both were younger and not weak looking rather intimidating actually and I wasn’t surprised he said that cause he looked very criminal from my first impressions anyhow. I called PD to report this scum bag.

    I lil while before that happened I had to eject a “ person “ for about the 10th time, he’s one of these “ people “ that just need to go if he’s not yelling and cursing at everyone he’s playing with himself as girls walk passed him and says he can “ smell” them in more detail then that. This cannot be tolerated anymore!! I put this guy high on the list of who could be busting windows at the “ Galleria “ since If he is not there he is on a property I Gaurd.

    But ya more of the same- restaurant employees getting hassled for hand outs, these “ people” peeing and pooping in protest on property’s that can’t be on “ live on” let’s face it these “people” stay were they can and when they occupy any space it becomes a dump then a biohazard.

    My leads tell me I’m doing a good job and offer me overtime on my days off. I have to many projects at home and it’s been almost 5 months doing this crap shift so ya I could use the money but my sanity is more important. It’s not hard to get a card card and every Gaurd company is always hiring. My night is just gettn started. I’ll report as stuff happens

  8. 4:10am fire across the street from the clock tower! I saw as SCPD stumbled across it then fire trucks showed up. This is why we can’t let “ people “ just wander around day or night it’s pretty simply to me-your either part of the problem or part of the solution. Since I’m here sharing here something that I have to deal with all the tine on my shift-some property’s I Gaurd have buildings that aid the “ homeless” and all the ones that do have this same exact problem it’s another Protest thing. When given the chance to use a regular bathroom these scum bags MUST destroy it or make a huge mess and they have one clever but gross trick they do I call it a poop blanket-here’s how it works these scum bags first clog the toilet with TP then take a huge dump simple but effective. Or they Poo right on the toilet seat. Both are beyond gross but effective. Luckily I have keys to bathrooms that only certain people have access to or some shifts I’d be forced to go to Scotts Valley or Aptos to find a clean useable toilet

  9. 4:50-5:10am wow I can’t make this stuff up. After catching a couple of “ street people “ making whoopy near some dumpsters I guess the girl did it for cigarettes cause that’s what she kept yelling at the guy about as she was putting clothes back on. So I waited till she was “ decent” and took pictures of both of them, the guy did not want his picture taken but oh well.

    Doing this this short while I’ve made friends with a lot of the cleaners that clean most of these buildings and businesses one of these hard working guys saw first hand how things go with me some shifts mind you most of these hard workers bike to there jobs but luckily just keep there bikes inside the buildings. I saw the “ usual type” all in black on a bike checking doors on a restaurant of course when I shined my light the “ guy” got violent and belligerent saying he could knock me out in one punch, this is his town yada yada yada. Brown skin bald guy all in black fyi. The cleaning guy was and wasn’t shocked by what he saw. He wasn’t shocked that there are scum bags all over SC he was shocked I didn’t back down and made sure the creep left. I told him there are a few things I know 1. These scum know that physical assault will get them locked up for sure so they’ll talk smack but that’s about it. 2. There drug addicts so going to jail keeps them from getting high so they don’t do anything that will for sure get them locked up and 3. I’m willing to get hit by these scum just to see them get locked up. Like I said when I first started commenting hear on the weekly dump/ Santa Mierda I’d sacrifice myself even my life if I have to to make SC and THE ONES IN CHARGE OF SC see what has to change. These scum bags practice and are good at looking and acting scary but it’s all comical when you realize there just dope fiends,tweeters, drunks,junkies ect ect. But they are DANGEROUS I don’t kid myself. But welfare mama SC loves all her “children “ and she gets money and recognition for taking care of them and her “ kids” can do no wrong. I’m reading older weekly dumps learning about the political stuff and other things it’s a big mess. But ya thanks to Ben the underbelly it’s getting exposed. I’m just glad I have a good place to report what I see along with my thoughts. It’s drizzling:)

  10. Ok this is a bit different. Came across a guy trying to get into an suv that I knew a person was already sleeping in luckily I got to the suv before the guy got out to beat up this guy tryn to enter his suv. The guy trying to break in had obvious signs of a head injury he had dry blood on the side of his head and blood on his hands. He was slurring very badly couldn’t make complete sentences and was not making any sense. He thought it was Tuesday or Wednesday and he was in Watsonville. He claimed to have a car but had no keys he didn’t even have a wallet. So I went from seeing about getting him arrested to calling for an ambulance real quick I put a shopping cart on its side to give him a place to sit but he kept wandering around but I eventually got him to sit for a bit. Before I knew it he had popped 2-3 more pills in his mouth ( most of what happened was heard by the dispatcher as well) he was so out of it as he was popping another pill I asked him to give me the pill and he did it was the shape of a Benadryl tablet and yellow he said it was a adovan pill or an OxyContin. I have some of this recorded btw. Fire ambulance and PD showed up and took over I gave one one the EMTs the pill I got from the guy made sure I wasn’t needed for anything and continued on my “ beat”. Imagine him behind the wheel or walking into traffic or committing murder all with no recollection. This is why we can’t let people just roam around in our towns or anywhere we care about. But what if he was on his way to an overdose was my main concern. Within the first 15 seconds I thought I was dealing with a drunk thief, turns out this guy was in bad trouble. This was just on my way to check buildings and property on my beat if I didn’t keep an eye out just as I normally do this guy probably would have got beaten up by the guy in the SUV adding more damage to this young guys head injury or who knows What could have happened and ego knows what this guy was doing all night before I came across him. Just another shift.

  11. Judith Grunstra

    I came across this article and it sounds good except the problem will just move to another part of their city. https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Sacramento-files-unusual-suit-to-ban-7-people-14341392.php

  12. Wow Dave…be careful. Your reporting is doing good so dont be getting hurt or anything like that….I saw on the news that the swarm of masked bikers in SC made the news briefly at least. Did not see any follow-up but hopefully it alerted the authorities that the problem is more than just a couple of nuts….more like a whole hive.
    If you encounter any “normal” people, be sure and tell them to sign the petitions to recall Krohn and ??? cant think of the other one’s name…

  13. Mandatory sterilization for people who can’t/won’t take care of themselves or their children.

    And (no offense intended to would-be immigrants) serious immigration enforcement.

    Our problems are obviously bad enough without letting them endlessly multiply.

  14. An idea I’ve had in my head for trying to get these problems cut down is basically tracking these “people “ and put them on a merit system. It’s not to complicated. It’s Voluntary and at the least it can help to filter out the actual “ homeless “ that really want and need help to get back on there feet and get the truly mentally ill the proper treatment. People could volunteer to be monitored to show and prove there not on hard drugs,doing criminal activities,actively looking for employment. Also if there on probation or need to get legal things straightened out that they do all that’s required of them. Mentally Ill People are expected to do the same with treatment/medications.
    It will have to only accept SC residents or outsiders willing to agree to join to get back to where there from or elsewhere. How to monitor them basically like voluntary probation could be done many ways but the main thing is that the ones willing to participate will be separated. The merit system can help and reward by public recognition and discounts on local shops,stores and services. Where,how and who is the hard part. More Shelters I’m not sure will the best solution. But just letting people camp isn’t working.

    The addicts that want to join will be a much harder thing to deal with we would have to get ALL of the rehab centers/facility’s in the area to treat this as the true epidemic this it is and start free rehabilitation. I don’t know what else can possibly work. Passing out needles makes the problem worse and basically expectable.

    Those hiding from the law/outsiders hiding from the law, career – violent criminals/drug dealers or just freeloaders-drifters/life time committed drug users will be the ones we can then focus on. These are the cancers they are the main factors.

    I just think any change could help. What I know and what I’ve seen tells me it’s been going on to long and it’s only getting worse. This is just a very rough idea. We are talking about people after all a very personal and detailed approach I think is a good strategy. It’s a 24/7 issue that needs a 24/7 solution. I keep mentioning a curfew that should be enforced especially on anyone looking or doing suspicious activity after a certain hour-like riding/walking around at looking for things to steal while being high on drugs or drunk. Suspicious looking vehicle! Speeding vehicles! as well.

    Unfortunately I do not have many ideas on the major mental health problem in SC. I was hesitant on just putting these ideas down here anyhow. Like I’ve said before I’m not a highly educated person I just truly care about Santa Cruz and mainly the people in it.

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