Thomas Fire ‘Lurkers’ Arrested
'Crimes of Opportunity' Charged and a Cannabis Lab Found
Reports of people dressed as utility servicemen generated fears about looting in several neighborhoods under mandatory evacuation orders. But the Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday no such suspects had been arrested.
The one Sheriff’s Office arrest that did occur was on Monday, December 11 at 6:30 a.m. on El Bosque Road, a Montecito street north of Highway 192 and east of San Ysidro Road. The suspect, Cesar Flores, a 31-year-old Santa Barbara man, was seen “prowling on private property that had been evacuated due to the Thomas Fire,” Sheriff’s spokesperson Kelly Hoover wrote in an email. “He appeared to be attempting to steal a bicycle. When firefighters made contact, the suspect fled the area. He was found and seemed to be under the influence of a controlled substance. Sheriff’s deputies charged him with entering a disaster area, loitering, possessing burglary tools, and being under the influence of drugs in public.
Two days later, Sheriff’s deputies received a report from firefighters of a butane honey oil extraction lab on the 2200 block of Bella Vista Drive. Firefighters doing structure protection discovered drug paraphernalia “in plain view” on the property. It included 300-500 pounds of trimmed marijuana, butane fuel, hash, a small grade extraction lab, and a small amount of the finished product. No arrests have been made, but Sheriff’s detectives have identified potential suspects.
