It started with a report of a suspicious group of people, but led to five arrests after Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies say they found them with a car packed with high end stolen merchandise.
Someone saw the people at Girsh Park in Goleta Tuesday morning. They were gone when deputies reached the scene, but officers then spotted their vehicle at a nearby motel. Deputies approaching them say they all appeared to be on drugs. When their car was searched, they found thousands of dollars worth of designer shirts, purses, and perfumes, stolen credit cards, and burglary paraphernalia.
Four Santa Barbara County residents and one Ventura County man were arrested on charges of possession of stolen property, identity theft, drug possession, and other charges.