On a trip from California to Georgia in 2024, Julia Tatarian brought a photo of a woman she knew a lot about but had never met. It was a portrait of Ofelia Sandoval, who was found dead at age 30 in her Santa Maria residence on Sept. 18, 1988. Authorities ruled her death a homicide […]
Santa Maria Police Department
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SLO County man sues Grover Beach, Santa Maria over alleged police misconduct
A San Luis Obispo County resident sued the cities of Grover Beach and Santa Maria, alleging that their police departments colluded to protect an officer with a reported history of misconduct. In his April 2025 lawsuit, SLO resident Casey Johnston claimed that Santa Maria police officer Jason Zickuhr “assaulted” him using a firearm after an […]
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‘Hoof pursuit’: The Santa Maria Police Department’s mounted unit just got two more officers
One of Santa Maria’s Town Center East shopping plazas felt like the Old West to two police officers who chased down a suspected shoplifter outside of Big 5 Sporting Goods last summer. “We were actually in a hoof pursuit,” Santa Maria Police Department officer Jessica Rubio recalled, while sitting on her patrol horse named Buddy. […]