Two Men Arrested For Murdering Inmate in Santa Cruz County Jail
Two weeks after a 24 year old inmate was found dead in his jail cell at the Santa Cruz County jail, two men have been arrested in connection to the murder. The Sheriff’s Office arrested a 33 year old Santa Cruz man and a 25 year old Watsonville man. The victim, who had been in custody at the jail on murder charges since April of 2013, was found dead in his cell. The suspects and the victim shared a cell and were in a housing unit for active gang members. Investigators determined he had been strangled early in the morning on Oct. 13th, and they confirmed that the victim was dead for a full day before his body was found. Uh, how in the hell does that happen? Incompetence? This is the second death INSIDE the jail this month.
Man Beaten and Left For Dead in the Middle of the Road in Live Oak
This past Monday, Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Deputies responded to 7th Avenue in Live Oak for reports of a male lying in the middle of the road. When they arrived, witnesses informed deputies that several people assaulted the man and fled towards the harbor. The victim’s injuries required him to be flown to a nearby trauma center for treatment. No word on his condition, and it doesn’t appear anyone has been arrested of if they even have any suspects at this time.
Falling Tree Kills Homeless Woman in the Pogonip
This past Sunday, SCPD and fire and rescue personnel responded to the Pogonip for a report of a tree falling on someone. It took them a while a find the victims, who were apparently camping about 200 yards off a trail in deep brush and rough terrain. SCPD had been tracking the location through a pinging open line phone. When first responders arrived, they found a woman in her fifties pinned under a tree and a man who complained of back injuries. The woman was unconscious and unresponsive so SCPD attempted CPR for almost an hour before she passed away at the scene. Even if they were able to revive her, they would not have been able to evacuate her due to her condition and location. This is why you can’t just be letting people camp anywhere they want in our greenbelts (and just ignoring them until they need a massive rescue effort like this one). Emergency medical evacuations are almost impossible and the victim ends up dying based on location. It’s a sad, tragic accident that could have been easily avoided with better choices.
The B40 Stolen Car Lot
Anyone had their car stolen recently? It might be sitting up on the 5200 block of Branciforte Drive. SCPD and the CHP were serving a search warrant at a residence on that particular block last Friday when they discovered 10 stolen cars along with a 12-gauge shotgun. The suspect refused to comply while barricading himself inside a trailer. After several hours of negotiating, the man, who had prior felony convictions, gave up peacefully and was arrested. He was booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail for vehicle theft, possession of stolen vehicles, violation of parole, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Fire Burns Hillside Near Depot Park (Again)
Tuesday afternoon around 3PM, a vegetation fire burned a hillside near Depot Park and the trestle bridge. It seems to be in the same area other fires have burned in the past. The Santa Cruz Fire Department responded to the fire and were quickly able to extinguish it, which apparently started after a welding spark from the nearby bike park started it. According to the fire department, the fire was accidental and started from metal fabrication happening in the area. Who was the dumbass out welding on a dry, blustery day with heavy fire warnings in effect and a hillside of dry brush (adjacent to homes) literally feet away? Where’s the common sense?
Just Asking to be Busted
Saturday night, Watsonville Police stopped a man for a traffic violation and got more than they bargained for. The driver had expired registration tags, but that led to them finding an unregistered gun and jars of marijuana in the vehicle. The 30 year old driver was arrested on several charges including possession of a firearm and ammunition by a prohibited person and possession of marijuana for sale. He was taken to jail.
UCSC Creeper Evades Police After Brief Chase
Monday night around 11:30PM, UCSC police were flagged down by a female student on Hagar Drive near Steinhart Way after a man in a truck stopped and asked if she needed a ride. I’m not sure what law was broken there, but when they attempted to stop the suspected vehicle, he led UCSC police, SCPD, and the CHP on an extended chase along Highway 1 past Davenport before they gave up and let him go.
Raging at the Ramada
Sunday morning around 11AM, reports came in about a transient woman who went into an open room at the Ramada Inn on Water Street that was about to be cleaned by housekeeping. She was pounding on the wall of the room screaming. She also was wearing a GPS ankle monitor. The gift that keeps on giving!
Maybe He Couldn’t Find a Parking Spot
Early Sunday morning, a suspected drunk driver was arrested by Watsonville police after he crashed his truck and it landed on a parked car. The 21 year old man, who was on probation (naturally!) crashed (parked?) a Chevy Tahoe on the 600 block of Tuttle Avenue. Nobody else was injured. He was arrested at the scene on suspicion of DUI and a probation violation.
Jump Into the Ocean
This weekend, SCPD responded to a report about an intoxicated woman who threw a Jump bike off of West Cliff Drive near Cowells Beach. Witnesses reported seeing it and gave a description of the suspect to SCPD, who quickly located the suspect matching the description at Beach and Cliff streets. The 24 year old drunk woman from the Central Valley was arrested for public intoxication, vandalism, and violation of California State Fish and Game codes and booked into the county jail.
SCPD Gets Points For Trying
Saturday night around 11PM, SCPD responded to the 300 block of Pacific for a report of a male and female who were physically fighting. A guest staying at the lodge witnessed seeing the male punch the female in the face. Both the suspected victim and suspect were seen wandering off into Depot Park before SCPD arrived. SCPD found a couple matching their description but the pair wasn’t cooperating with police, the witness refused to cooperate, and a whole lot of time was wasted. Do us all a favor. If you aren’t willing to help the police, don’t bother calling them as a witness to a crime. You’re just wasting their time and our money.
Freedom in Name Only
This past week, Santa Cruz Sheriff’s deputies arrested a convicted sex offender in Freedom who was not complying with the terms of his registration. The Sheriff’s Office also said he had a one way ticket to Asia leaving later that same day and may have been trying to flee the country. Deputies went to his home and served a warrant for his arrest. He was booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail.
Tweekers Arrested With Really Nice Bike
This week, Santa Cruz Police arrested two men for possession of heroin and methamphetamine, paraphernalia, misappropriation of found property, and use of a police scanner for criminal activity, which violates probation terms. Also, in their possession was this bicycle with the serial number scratched off. My money says it’s stolen.
Sunday Morning Hit and Run Injures Watsonville Woman
Sunday morning, a 23 year old Watsonville woman was seriously injured after being struck by a truck in a hit and run. Police have video of the incident, which shows the truck police believe to have struck the victim, who was walking to a parked car when she was hit and left unconscious in the street. The victim suffered a fractured pelvis, spinal column and internal bleeding. She was flown to a trauma center, where she is in stable condition after undergoing major surgery on Wednesday.
On Your Way Down
People fly high begin to lose sight
You can’t see very clearly when you’re in flight
It’s high time that you found
The same people you misuse on your way up
You might meet up
On your way down
RIP Paul Barrere.
On Your Way Down – Little Feat
Dia De Los Muertos
This Saturday, Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) makes its way through downtown Santa Cruz from 12:30PM until 2PM. The procession begins at Cooper Street in Downtown Santa Cruz at the MAH. Vibrant dance performances, face painting, and delicious food are all on tap. The parade moves to Evergreen Cemetery for more dancing, music, and activities. For more information, click here.
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!
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19 Responses
Hardly worth a comment, but yesterday on my dog walk a man asked me if I lived nearby. He was looking for residents with security cameras around Garfield Park to try to catch the person who broke into his car on a nearby side street. I don’t have one (I’m starting to think that needs to be on a birthday check list along with a firearm!), but I forgot to suggest he ask the grizzly characters at Garfield if they knew anything. Some of those people there are OK, but the rest appear sketchy but maybe that prejudice is coming from the stench of urine next to sleeping bodies in the bar-b-que area and no real evidence based reason.
The other thing that caught my attention was the cherubic Glover minions going door to door drumming up support for his town hall on creating a “Human Rights Commission” I think on Wednesday which is actually a, probably government funded meaning you and me, discrimination complaint and prosecution assistance center. They were not impressed when I mentioned we have lawyers, courts, a ton of civil rights groups already and the net result of that would be more city division. Silly me. OK, Ben. This is local news, not “going there” (I hope)
Thank you Garret for the report. The Glover deal is more socialist agenda. We are still trying to find one place where that worked out.
We have three cameras at the front of our house with night vision lights, we live in the Bum-muda Triangle near Ocean St. it is a constant fight here. Our firearms are a pellet gun an BB gun, that could change soon.
Thanks Garrett! And thanks for keeping stuff “on point”. For me, that’s the really value here (local based news and information and commentary).
Re: B40
Reminds me of my first trial on jury duty in 1978. A tow truck driver was taking orders for auto parts – say some nice wheels for a Camaro. He’d troll through the movie theater parking lots till he found a car he wanted = jack it up, tow it to the east side of LA, strip it and leave the carcass. He was only caught when one night he took his wife with him, who was apparently unaware of his night time activities. She told his boss who called the cops … Nobody challenged him the whole time … you see a car getting towed and think, “poor fellow, damn car must have failed to start.”
Our local guy is wearing his tow truck driver’s uniform and I can see his truck in the background.
That song you quote was written by Allen Toussaint. Little Feat did not write it.
Thanks! This is true. They did do the video I posted though.
rosa koires book was great. all the problems with a lack of representative democracy in santa rosa sound identical to santa cruz. iclei really is trying to make every city/county the same. i never knew the non profits and their studies, with totally skewed data, are leading to all these socialist policies. she really busted up some of their plans, or at least delayed them.
im pretty proud to read of those accomplishments and people fighting for representative democracy all over northern california and other cities/counties in this country. that includes the recall, santa cruz united, this website and everyone who speaks out here!
i also never knew many of the non profits were funded by big corporations. i never would have been so skeptical of a “human rights commission” before- but now i know it will probably be used to cherry pick facts and alter laws/policies against the popular vote.
you would think representative democracy was a “human right” to protect in santa cruz and america. the non profit studies dominate so many policies and she showed in her book: the data they use can be mostly false. we saw that with the housing debate here. from what i read they didnt bother to find much accurate, relevant or current data at all. between this and the fires/power outages… its been too much. it seems like the loudest local political voices were fed a narrative, run with it, and anyone who questions it is attacked. she showed that in santa rosa too.
i wanted to try to stay informed, and build up more of a buffer so that the local violence wouldnt be so upsetting. like respond dont react kind of thing… instead of getting more of a thick skin, or an emotional buffer, im getting indifferent. :0( its like these news stories arent resonating internally.
oh well still good to stay informed. just not the outcome i was aiming for. i guess thats what everyone said you just start getting numb. maybe some of this stuff just seems small compared to the 14 fires and massive black outs. idk. a year ago a body in the middle of the road would have upset me more. now im like, how many hospitals couldnt keep their generators going long enouh to keep their patients safe? i guess that is eclipsing the local stuff for front row anxiety.
i was talking to one person about the housing policies the politicians ignoring the vote, the fires and the resulting damage to this economy. he said “so what, this country is the 1% of the world, who cares if bad things happen here, it doesnt matter compared to the rest of the worlds problems.” really sad to hear that. u dont know what u have till its gone. people work their asses off to keep this place going. prayers for california.
That’s why I’m doing a vigilant job as a security Gaurd here in SC the “undesirables” of society are thriving here and are doing a great job of taking SC over and harassing the regular people and students like THEY don’t belong here unless there going to hand out money to ever open hand they come across,that’s what the poor tourist find out very quickly here unfortunately.
I HAVE to deal with these “ people “ 40hrs a week and for every decent man or woman I come across that’s “on the street “ and this really doesn’t happen often at ALL there are I’d say 40!! Undesirable “people “ and then so called “ decent “ ones can turn on you in a second then you come to the realization that’s if your out on the streets in ANY place in America these days chances are your a drug addicts or mentally ill or both and your either seeking help and can’t get it for some reason or another or your content being an addict or don’t realize your mentally ill ( or both) either way it’s should not be this way.
My wife got a sad reality check about here beloved Santa Cruz against her better judgement she let her 27 year old daughter talk her into going with her downtown. Traffic wasn’t bad she said but she lost count of all the “ homeless “ passed out all over but she preferred the passed out undesirables cause the ones that were not passed out were screaming and cursing “F*** Santa Cruz……..!!!
Even though down was full of law enforcement all my wife’s daughter had to do was walk down any dark alley and scream for help as loud as she could my wife was still standing on pacific looking at groups of police and people no one seemed to hear or care. So In reality unless you have POLICE on FOOT 24/7 not just standing out to be seen but actually going to were the scum hide and watch from it’s all just a farce an illusion of safety and organization.
BUT WHAT BLEW HER MIND AND MADE HER BLOOD BOIL until she gave up and just laughed at this- ALL THE SIGNS TELLING REGULAR LAW ABIDING CITIZENS NOT TO LITTER—FIGHT DO DRUGS ect ect… OR ELSE YOULL GET A TICKET OR ARRESTED.!?!?
WHEN THATS EXACTLY WHAT ALL THE “HOMELESS “ DO IN SC!?! Then she realized the frustrations. So she’s way more interested in what happens ever shift and can’t beli what she is reading in all the older Weekly Dumps. I think her reaction is par for the course for your average person. I think I’ll have time to write more a bit later. Thanks again Ben for giving us this place to share!!
Good point about how normal ppl get cited for illegal infractions, however as long as your an “undesirable ” your home free to wreak havoc. The irony. I guess law enforcement knows only working citizens will end up paying the fines
OH….!“HOME! Home on the Cruz where the criminals and addicts do as they choose!!
“Where the cops never come, and when they do NOTHING gets done!!
AND!!! The Rents keeps going UP! EVERYDAY!!! …. OH!!….
🙂 I’m looking forward to the next Weekly dump to get the real news around here.
Quick note and this happens often of course I’ll wake these “ people “ up to tell them to leave. Sometimes there so out of it it takes them a while to put on there “ scum bag attitude”. I took me 3 times to get this “ guy” to wake up and get moving he was a lil cranky but once he was fully awake then the typical cursing with violent threats ect ect… I just tell them stop blaming others for your problems-no one is forcing you to be on the street, you know facts 🙂 “ guy” has a bike spray painted blue, typical and he wasn’t sleeping he was nodded off from heroine.
More windows to cars being broken in the lil parking lot between the Galleria “ and the parking garage next to Wells Fargo.
Oh and the new security company is doing a good job the places they patrol are cleared out now. But without police arresting these scum and JUDGES tossing the “ little fish” go when there releasing PIRANHAS!! It’s sound funny put that way but we all know it’s not.
Just as I’m writing I had Pd stop by I flagged them down to let them know a guy who in detail harassed and threatened me in detail I actually wrote about it here tried to run me over with his bike then threatened me with a knife; they threaten me always from a distance cause there weak cowards. It’s not my job to physically fight with these scum it’s got close but they know Assault is guaranteed jail time and that keeps them from the drugs and complete freedom to use drugs and steal stuff so the act the the “ Wheelers” in Return to OZ.
I’d love to see evenings with 100+ SC citizens with bright flashlights,pepper spray and tasers in cars and are on foot and bikes going right we’re these scum bags are-usually on business or private property anyway- and Literally chase the scum out of Santa Cruz- If the scum can do what they want 24/7 then so should the good regular people be able to. It’s just regular people have BETTER things to do with they lives and time. But I’ll join if it gets to it. I figure what do we have to lose and the frustrations are building up day by day year by year!!
Oh as I got done talking to PD I said ok back to moving the riff raff around and the cops said together “Yup!” SAD.
It’s nothing, but another thing that I witnessed last week was people openly smoking dope on benches on Michel’s Cove West Cliff (ok, nothing unusual there) except the police were double parked for an unknown reason, but really just standing on the very same but other side of the street just causally talking with each other and seemingly enjoying the day. I’m not really ripping the police for that since that is policy..I guess. At almost the very same time a few minutes after I descended onto the beach and made it to one end, some woman at the other end was screaming at top volume obscenities about drugs and other subjects with such intensity at such a volume for so long you would not think it humanly possible to generate that much loud venom perhaps without chemical assistance or a few broken synapses. I could see about 10 people standing around that area taking it in. These are “nothing”, but also things you never used to see.
pot is not illegal, people yelling not illegal………………
no crimes committed.
Your either part of the problem or solution or your making a empty headed thought, I’m not sure what to make of your comment. I’m hoping the undesirables of SC haven’t found this blog cause it’ll be ruined real quick- like they ruin EVERYTHING ELSE.
We all have smart phones- film and post on social media!! All what we see. I’ll go into my shift another time but I’m gonna fed up with the scum in SC running around like they own the place. PD is busy but with nonsense mainly. If they can’t take it to sell it for drugs they must break it cause they scum. Take care of each other and LOOK out for the CrEePs!
I almost feel like printing pics of these creep with a paragraph on there doings and make hundreds of copy’s and leave them all over SC ya it’s littering so I’m not going to.
I found it interesting that the Sentinel’s no comment policy has appeared (verbatim) in the Chico Enterprise. The papers are owned by the same corp. Most of the posts in the ER were like SCruz’s, i.e., focusing on the rising bum tide. Chico and SCruz are similar cities, nice place to live, small town feel, big uni, & overrun with do-gooders and bums. The ER is called the “Emptyprise Record” locally.
I enjoyed reading the comments section & never found it offensive. I think papers are afraid that they may be accused/sued for promoting racism, or some other “-ism”.
Newspapers are NOT liable for on-line comments any more than bloggers for their comment sections. They are providing a forum. The articles THEY post are fodder for libel or slander. On-line comment commentators could be sued for slander, but truth is a defense for slander. For instance, Ben is not responsible for his fans comments.
The Sentinel, and other papers owned by the same owners, have cut costs to the bone while raising fees. If they don’t want comments no doubt there’s a cost savings to doing so.
Actually, all of WestCliff, except State Park property, is considered a city park. And yes, it is against the law to smoke anything, whether it is a legal substance or not. It is also against the law to “disturb the peace”, unless of course you like meth-fueled rants. There is just no enforcement, like the the rest of the laws here in SC.
There just needs to be a strict curfew in SC so the scum can’t lurk around to do whatever!!!!
Case and point. I wasn’t really even “ ejecting “ this scum bag but he was wandering through one of the property’s I Gaurd on foot. Once this creep noticed I was walking a ways behind him he got irritated I just told him I’m walking my perimeter and your on a property with a guard making sure no one trespasses. The next thing out of his mouth was typical “ come and see me on the side walk B****”. I don’t back down from no one and I don’t let intimidation get to me; especially being a guard you can’t let scum think your weak. Some of the scum probably think I’m nuts I’ll go back and forth with them the more vulgar they get I’ll get as well if they try to talk normally I’ll do that to but 95% of the “ people “ out late nite till morning are a different kind of scum.
Back to my story once I’m face to face with this guy he realizes I’m not scared and he can probably smell my cologne cause I could smell cigarettes coming off him. So he does another typical thing he starts saying you can’t follow me around. I honestly cant believe that these law breaking drug addicts get surprised when I say “ if you guys don’t have to follow rules why should I “ AND THANKS TO BEN AND YOU FEW GOOD FOLKS WHO SUPPORT BEN I ALSO TELL THESE SCUM BAGS LOUD AND CLEAR- “ The regular people and students and tourists have my back!!” Those good people would love to be able to tell you scum what I’m telling you now!! Ill go into more detail based on what they’ve done or said. But I let them have it- I represent hard working decent folk. DAM IT! 🙂
Sorry keep getting side tracked. These guys just never go away they always have to keep talking smack. So he’s going on about the typical “ I’m going to come back, I’ll find where you live, bla bla blooooo.
BUT!! As he’s walking along he encountered another “ wandering undesirable “ and this undesirable has managed to find himself a swiffer style wet jet mop. Once scum bag 1 met up with scum bag 2 and scum bag 2 is the guy who months ago threatened to kill me take my car find where I live kill everyone in the house and then do a suicide by cop, and just last Sunday he tried to run me over with his bike then threatened me with a knife. So I’m off pacific with two of Santa Cruz’s lovely street people about to fight it out with one guy swinging a metal stick basically. PULLED OUT MY IPHONE 7+ and they ran like roaches with the lights on. The police even told me without video evidence it would’ve been my word against there’s and even if they jumped me I still could get in trouble. But I know how to walk this thin line in the end I’m the one being paid to guard these property’s from the exact scum I encounter. It just SUCKS SO BAD these scum can’t get away with sooooooo much that even protecting yourself from these scum can get the victim into trouble. Why why why is it like this here. I prefer the boring shifts. Some SOME of these street people are semi decent I do SOMETIMES have delightful lil conversations with them SOMETIMES I’ll buy a pack of cigarettes to pass out- I don’t smoke.
I like to tell people I’m great at giving what I get, I can love and hate just as much as the next person. I don’t think I’m better then anyone. I just can’t stand bully’s and bullying behavior. I’m about the same age as the worse aggressors around here 30-40. I know I’m doing good out here. I’m not going to put up with the scum here.