Woman Found Murdered in RV in Downtown Santa Cruz
Thursday night around 5PM, a man showed up at the front door of the county jail wanting to turn himself in for a murder that hadn’t been reported yet. SCPD sent someone over to get him and bring him back to the station so they could hear his story, and his story seemed to check out after he told them where to find a woman’s body. Police located the victim in an RV parked near the Kaiser Arena. The victim and suspect had a relationship of some kind. The 30 year old suspect is a transient from Oakland. The victim had been living in her RV around Santa Cruz for some time. The suspect, who apparently confessed to killing the victim, was charged with 2nd degree murder. He also faces pending felony charges related to violating a domestic violence protective order and parole. The suspect told investigators that he murdered her on Monday on the 900 block of Soquel Avenue. So I guess he’s been driving her RV around town with her body in it for the past few days. Probably grabbed a few meals and hung out with his friends at the “Santa Cruz Homeless Grifters Union” at the Food Not Bombs parking lot across the street from where her body was found.
Well this one fell in their lap. Well done SCPD! Don’t fuck this up.
Judge Tells Squatters It’s Time To Go
In not so many words, this week a federal judge lifted the injunction and restraining order that prevented the city from clearing the homeless camp out of San Lorenzo Park. On Tuesday, Judge Susan van Keulen removed a court injunction that prevented the city from clearing out the park. Despite the ruling, apparently the city has no immediate plans to clear out the camp from San Lorenzo park.
“We will provide ample notice once those plans are in place we want the folks who are camping there to be able to land in another location and we’re not quite ready to make that move yet,” said Elizabeth Smith, spokeswoman for the city of Santa Cruz. You’ve had a fucking year to figure this out. You haven’t? Why am I not surprised?
The Human Instigator is Finally Arrested
And in a bit of good news locally, that narcissistic kook guy from San Jose who loves to come to Santa Cruz and waste our public resources has apparently been arrested (finally!) and has been sitting in jail on a no bail hold since Wednesday. He’s looking at 36 charges. As much as I rail on the jail for their turnstile doors, I’m glad to see in this case, the turnstile was locked. He went to court on Friday to face the judge, who I’m sure loved hearing all about his “sovereign immunity” or whatever nonsense he’s spouting in his defense. Then I heard his band of idiots showed up at the court for his arraignment, made a scene, and got literally tossed out of the building, escorted out by law enforcement. I think I speak for most of Santa Cruz in telling this guy to fuck off in no uncertain terms, and his friends can fuck off with him. I heard he’s gonna sit in jail until at least July 15th. He’ll be spending his birthday in jail. I’m sure the other inmates will love this guy’s nonsense.
Transients Fighting on the Murray Street Bridge
Friday afternoon around 12:30PM, SCPD responded to the area near the Murray Street bridge that crosses the Santa Cruz Harbor after getting reports of a male and female who were apparently in a physical altercation swinging bags at each other and trying to push each other in the road. When they arrived, they found a seriously drunk transient who claimed the woman stole his bike and rode off with it. Nobody was arrested.
Young, Drunk, and Stupid
Last Thursday around 6PM, Santa Cruz Police responded to the area of Bay Street and Lighthouse Avenue for a report of a vehicle hitting a parked car. When they arrived, they found that a juvenile male drunk driver had fled the scene, leaving behind his injured passenger. I’m not sure if anyone was arrested, and the passenger was treated for their injuries.
The Food Isn’t Good Enough to Fight Over
Wednesday afternoon around 2PM, SCPD responded to the notorious city owned parking lot at the corner of Laurel and Front streets for a reported disturbance in the Food Not Bombs slopfest involving two males physically fighting, with one of them using a folding chair as a weapon. A 42 year old male was eventually arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon, making criminal threats, and possession of stolen property. He’s apparently out of jail a day later. I’m guessing the jail didn’t want him.
Bum Central
Last Friday morning around 8AM, SCPD responded to the 300 block of Front Street after getting flagged down for a possible battery. This is the notorious city owned parking lot at the corner of Laurel and Front streets where the city has just given up control to Keef McMuffin’s daily bum party. They found a male victim who was bleeding from the head and needed medical attention. A 64 year old transient with a long history of priors with local law enforcement was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon and battery with serious bodily injury. last check he’s still in jail for now, with his bail set at $50K.
Shitty Dad of the Week
Last Friday night around 9:30PM, SCPD responded to a report of a domestic disturbance on the 200 block of Button Street. They arrested a 23 year old male and charged him with domestic violence, false imprisonment, child cruelty, and assault with a deadly weapon. Bail was set at $50K and apparently he bonded out already.
Back on the Chain Gang
Monday night around 7:30PM, SCPD responded to the San Lorenzo Park Bum Camp on the 100 block of Dakota for a report of a male who threatened to beat another guy with a chain and lock. They found the 32 year old suspect hanging out on the stairs behind the courthouse. He was charged with making criminal threats, flashing a weapon, and having an illegal weapon. He’s no longer in jail.
Don’t be a Fireworks Putz
I know the Fourth of July is coming in a couple days but please don’t be one of those local putzes that lights off illegal fireworks, especially the freaking mortar rockets that could burn the town down and freak out every animal within earshot. Every year we hear the city of Santa Cruz threaten triple fines and blah blah blah and we see the same rockets red glare and the same bombs bursting in air every single year. Fines and threats don’t mean shit without enforcement. It’s all fun and games until a random flaming mortar drops from the sky and lands on your roof. Some fun.
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Thanks for your reminder Re: illegal fireworks! The laws against fireworks are in the books- police and sheriffs need support from above so they can do their job and hand out tickets or haul off offenders to jail!!!
As a pet owner, it’s my least favorite holiday of the year. Thanks!
How about running the opposite of a countdown clock to see how long before the city disbands the SLZ Benchlands camp now that they can? I would bet the city allows it to stay all through the summer. Weak sauce.
I have zero doubt they will be there until the fall when the threat of flooding will finally move them. Move them back to higher ground 100 feet away. It’s the definition of insanity. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Thanks Ike.
I will be looking forward to the “Free Hugs” news from inside the jail!
Ben, sorry to pile on your lead-in story about the murdered woman, but I think this deserves pointing out. The Sentinel reported:
“Just days earlier, on June 25, Paepke pleaded no contest in Santa Cruz County Superior Court to a December 2019 felony assault causing great bodily injury charge. The conviction arose out of a plea deal with the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office, in which additional original charges of felony spousal abuse, misdemeanor contempt of a protective order and an enhancement for committing a felony while out on bail were dropped and Paepke was sentenced to 44 days of time already served jail and 36 months of probation, enforcement of which was suspended.”
Does anyone else see a negligence component in the District Attorney’s actions?
That certainly looks bad. One possibility (not necessarily correct) is that since the perp was from some other county, the DA hoped that if released, he would go back there, along with the victim. Then, this county would not have to pay to support them in the local slammer. If (as seems possible) there would be more problems when they got away, then that money would come from the other county. If put in slam here, then the perp might be unable to get out of the county when released, making him our permanent problem.