Fake Press Release Defended By Santa Maria Police Chief
Chief Martin Says He Intentionally Misled Press, Public to Save Lives
In what Santa Maria Police Chief Ralph Martin described this week as a tactic to save lives and take down members of the international criminal gang MS-13, the Santa Maria Police Department issued a fake press release on Feb. 12 that the Santa Maria Times and other news agencies subsequently reported as fact.
In the release, issued via its official press release conduit, Nixle.com, the Santa Maria Police Department said it was called to a business in the 1000 block of West Main Street regarding attempted identity fraud.
When officers arrived, the release said, they reportedly made contact with two subjects identified as Jose Santos Melendez, 22, and Jose Marino Melendez, 23, both of Guadalupe. Both subjects were arrested by Santa Maria Police on various identity theft charges, according to the release.
