Burglary Report Leads to Four Arrests in Santa Maria
SANTA MARIA – When police responded to reports of a residential burglary Tuesday morning in the 500 block of Richard Street, they didn’t find a burglary in progress but instead found two people who had barricaded themselves inside the home.
At 8 a.m. on Dec. 11, Santa Maria officers received a call about an unidentified male who was possibly breaking into and burglarizing a residence at 512 Richard St., according to police.
When officers arrived at the address, they tried to make contact with any persons in the residence and observed a male inside the home. Police said the man saw the officers and knew they were outside, however nobody came to the front door. Eventually, officers made contact with two males who exited the residence. Both men were detained.
During a search of the home’s interior, a female left the house and was also detained. Officers began searching the home again after the woman was detained and found two more people hiding inside a barricaded room. They were also subsequently detained, according to police.
The initial report of a possible burglary in progress was found to be unsubstantiated, although four of the five people detained were arrested for various violations.
Ramon Maldonado, 36, a known and documented Santa Maria gang member, was arrested for locally issued warrants, as well as probation violations stemming from Monterey County.
Alfred Plaza, 51, also a known and documented Santa Maria gang member, was arrested for parole violations and warrants.
Nancy Cerna, 29, was arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance, and Taunya Gaitan, 46, was arrested for outstanding warrants.
All four subjects were booked at Santa Barbara County Jail.
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About Author
April Charlton
April Charlton is a freelance journalist who specializes in criminal and local government matters. She has more than 11-plus years of experience as a reporter, covering everything from cops and courts to city and county governments. She writes for CrimeVoice and several newspapers on the Central Coast, including the Santa Maria Times, a daily publication, and its sister papers, Times Press Recorder and The Adobe Press. She may be reached at really_dawn@yahoo.com for any comments or suggestions that you may have.