Sheriff's Rural Crime Unit Busts Theft Ring

Santa Maria- February 16th, 2010

The Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Rural Crimes Unit and Sheriff’s Detectives have teamed up to arrest six people in connection to a string of burglaries and felony acts of vandalism at ranches and farms in the Santa Maria Valley.

The nearly three months long investigation began in early December, 2009 when an agricultural business on the 33-hundred block of Foxen Canyon Road reported that someone had broken into a storage shed and stolen thousands of dollars worth of tools and equipment sometime overnight.

Over the next few weeks more than $105,000 dollars worth of farm equipment was stolen in similar burglaries at agricultural properties on the 14-hundred block of Black Road, 38-hundred block of Telephone Road, and 26-hundred block of East Clark Avenue. In some cases, the burglars used company tractors to commit acts of vandalism that caused more than $24,000 worth of damage.

Last week, Sheriff’s Detectives and Sheriff’s Rural Crimes Deputy cracked the case and arrested five adults and one juvenile for their roles in the crime spree: all are from the Orcutt and Santa Maria Valley area. Cody Tucker (DOB 5/21/91), Steven Smith (DOB 8/2/88), and Breanne Allegretto (DOB 12/17/90) were booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail for Burglary, Vandalism, and Criminal Conspiracy; all are felonies. David Southern (DOB 12/31/88) was booked on felony burglary and criminal conspiracy charges. Bail was set at $20,000. The 17-year old male was booked at juvenile hall. 

Derek Friesen was also booked for possession of stolen property in relation to the case. At this time the Sheriff’s Department has recovered more than $103,000 worth of the stolen property.

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EMAIL:pio@sbsheriff.org