Police from several agencies searched for three suspects on March 28 following a report of a home burglary in Orcutt. The suspects allegedly stole guns and marijuana from the home, according to Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Clay Turner.
The manhunt began in the early afternoon and lasted through the day after police were notified that the suspects entered the home in the 700 block of Via Vista Verde and hit a woman who was inside at the time, according to Turner. The thieves then proceeded to make off with several guns, a large amount of marijuana, and some personal items, he said.
The California Highway Patrol, Santa Maria Police Department, and the Sheriff’s Office established a perimeter around the wooded area immediately south of Clark Avenue. However, law enforcement authorities said the suspects got away. As of press time, police hadn’t made any arrests or identified any suspects.
Nearby residents were privy to a spectacle that included several police officers, search dogs, and even a helicopter that hovered over the area for several hours.
Neighbors who know the occupant of the house said he had a Compassionate Use card, allowing him to grow medical marijuana. Tall hedgerows topped with what appears to be a security fence surrounds the yard. Neighbor Bob Hatch, who lives three houses down, described it as “quite an operation.”
Following the incident, Hatch expressed concern for his safety
“The suspicion was that he was growing more than what they were supposed to,” Hatch told the Sun.
This article appears in Mar 31 – Apr 7, 2016.