Sheriff’s Blotter
Late on the night of Wednesday, July 18, and into Thursday, July 19, Montecito residents were on edge as Santa Barbara Sheriff’s deputies searched for – and ultimately arrested – three suspects wanted for residential burglary.
The incident began Just before 10:30 pm on July 18; the Santa Barbara County Public Safety Dispatch Center received a call from a victim in the 100 block of Santa Elena in Montecito who heard suspects breaking into her home. The victim called 911 and hid inside a closet of her home. The suspects made entrance into the residence and when they encountered the victim, they fled outside the front door where they encountered responding deputies.
A Sheriff’s deputy observed one of the suspects point what appeared to be a handgun at him. The deputy fired a single round from his service weapon, and the suspects continued to flee. Deputies contacted the victim inside the residence and determined that she was shaken but unharmed. A suspect vehicle registered out of Los Angeles County was located in the driveway.
Deputies and California Highway Patrol officers quickly secured a perimeter and began searching for the suspects. An emergency notification was sent to residents in the immediate area requesting them to shelter in place. Additional resources were called in to help, including a Sheriff’s K-9 team, a Santa Barbara County Air Support helicopter, the Sheriff’s Special Enforcement Team and detectives with the Criminal Investigations Division. Just after 11 pm, a suspect identified as being 26-year-old Adolph Washington of Los Angeles was located hiding in bushes in the area of Wyant Lane and Bonnie Road and was arrested. A discarded handgun was located near the victim’s residence.
The search continued throughout the night to locate the two suspects who were still at large. Another K9 team from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the search. After all leads were exhausted, deputies deployed saturation patrols throughout the area. Sheriff’s Special Enforcement Team members remained on scene and Santa Barbara Police officers also responded to assist. At approximately 5:30 am on July 19, deputies conducting saturation patrols located the suspects in the 1200 block of Coast Village Road. A male juvenile suspect from Los Angeles was detained but the third suspect fled. Another emergency notification was sent to residents and businesses in the area, requesting them to shelter in place and to be on the lookout for the remaining suspect, a black male in his late teens or early 20s last seen wearing a white T-shirt. A CHP K9 was brought in to assist with the search. A Ventura County Sheriff’s helicopter also responded to assist but was unable to search due to the marine layer.
At approximately 2:30 pm the same day, a vehicle was reported stolen from the 1100 block of Coast Village Road, the same area where the wanted residential burglary suspect was last seen fleeing from deputies. The stolen vehicle was subsequently involved in a non-injury collision in the area of Butterfly Lane and Channel Drive. The driver fled on foot and was apprehended through a coordinated effort between the Santa Barbara Police Department, California Highway Patrol, and the Sheriff’s Office.
The suspect was identified as being 33-year-old Davion Dwyann Jones of Compton. He was arrested by the Santa Barbara Police Department for felony vehicle theft, false impersonation, and driving on a suspended license. Jones was released to the custody of sheriff’s deputies who after further investigation arrested Jones for felony first-degree burglary, resisting arrest, and felony false impersonation. Jones also has three out-of-county outstanding warrants, including one for residential burglary in San Diego County. Jones is being held at the Santa Barbara County Jail without bail.
The same morning, at around 6:45 am, an adult male was walking southbound along the railroad tracks just east of Olive Mill Road in Montecito when he was fatally injured by an Amtrak passenger train that was headed northbound. The train engineer observed the subject walking along the side of the train tracks and activated the train’s horn and braking system, but was unable to stop in time and struck the victim.
The decedent was identified as 50-year-old Rogelio Perez of Santa Barbara. His death is being ruled as an accident.
Passengers exited the train and many made their way onto Coast Village Road to arrange for other transportation, complicating the search that was in progress for the residential burglary suspects.
