Photo: Samuel Fuentes
Santa Barbara County – When driving around on the streets of Santa Maria after midnight on a weekday, the likelihood of attracting the attention of law enforcement patrol units may be at its highest. Given that, driving around with the tools required to commit crimes that already earned a prison sentence might not be the best idea. The principle is obvious: a criminal only attracts more attention by driving around by himself late at night.
But 41-year-old Santa Maria resident Samuel Fuentes—according to Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover, known to local area law enforcement “from previous contacts”—may have forgotten that principle, because when his Honda Civic was pulled over on the quiet late-night downtown streets of November 22nd, the cops immediately recognized his smiling face.
As a probationer, Fuentes was subject to the warrant-less search of his person and vehicle, and that’s exactly what deputies did. Pursuant to this search, “shave keys” which Hoover described as “commonly used to steal vehicles” were found in Fuentes’ possession, along with methamphetamine and assorted drug paraphernalia. Further investigation revealed that the vehicle Fuentes had been reported as stolen earlier in the evening.
Fuentes was taken into custody and transported to Santa Barbara County Jail where he appears to have made a serious effort to win the facility’s 2017 Best Mug Shot Award as he was being booked on charges of possession of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, burglary tools, and a stolen vehicle.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
