Photo: scene from the arrest
Santa Barbara County – When Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department deputies attempted to make a routine traffic stop on a Toyota Corolla exceeding the speed limit on Santa Ynez Valley’s Highway 246 just before noon on January 8th, “the driver refused to yield,” according to SBSD Public Information Officer Raquel Zick.
Reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph and passing over double yellow lines, the suspect vehicle raced into the City of Buellton where it became involved in a minor, non-injury collision. Just as the deputies arrived at the scene, the Corolla hung a U-turn and raced back toward Highway 246, where it was involved in a second minor, non-injury collision.”
During that leg of the pursuit, deputies backed off, believing the chase was “getting too dangerous.” Moments later, the CHP reported witness accounts of “people fleeing from an abandoned vehicle” in the Solvang area. At that point, deputies summoned a county helicopter and a pair of K-9 units. The search was on.
It didn’t take deputies long to track down 24-year-old Jasen Robles and 20-year-old Maya Winters, as well as a 17-year-old male juvenile, all residents of Santa Maria.
Robles and Winters were both transported to Santa Barbara County Jail. Robles was booked on an outstanding felony warrant for auto theft and robbery, while Winters was booked on a charge of possessing drug paraphernalia and resisting arrest. The male juvenile was arrested on an outstanding warrant and transported to SBCO Juvenile Detention Center.
A fourth suspect, described as “a Hispanic male with facial hair and wearing a dark hoodie” was not located and remains at large.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department
