A man wanted in two states was arrested by deputies with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office following a traffic stop on Union Valley Parkway near Santa Maria on June 30, according to Kelly Hoover, the public information officer for the Sheriff’s Office.
During the stop, police arrested Bernell Quillens, 35, of Marin, Calif., who is wanted for possession of dangerous drugs in Georgia, and also in Texas for “trafficking of a child for sexual purposes,” Hoover said. She added that the stop was made after a police officer witnessed a minor traffic violation. Quillens was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail.
Quillens’ arrest came during the investigation into the whereabouts of 35-year-old Joanna Savoy, who was wanted for violating the terms of her community supervision, which she received after a conviction of possession of a controlled substance for sale, Hoover said.
Police located Savoy and 30-year-old Vanessa Vasquez, both of Santa Maria, at a hotel in Pismo Beach, along with 30-year-old Clarissa Bautista, who was also present in the hotel room.
Vasquez was out on bail for an unrelated felony as well as on parole with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
According to Hoover, both Vasquez and Savoy were found with more than an ounce of methamphetamine and approximately $2,300 in cash in their possession. Hoover said Bautista was cited and released.
Vasquez and Savoy were both booked into San Luis Obispo County Jail on “no bail” warrants, Hoover said.
This article appears in Jul 7-14, 2016.