Photo: Top Row L to R: Yesenia Ybarra, Ana Sanchez, Dylan Jaregui-Salinas / Bottom Row L to R: Jorge Fernandes, Gilbert Solis, Brandon Topete
June 30, 2020- Santa Barbara County
Possession of a firearm is legal. Possession of a firearm as a felon is, however, not legal. Neither
is it legal to threaten people with a firearm. Endangering children is also illegal, as is conspiracy
to participate in any of those illegal activities. And when a suspect lies to the cops about any of
this, that’s also illegal.
All of those violations of law came into play on the evening of June 22nd at a Goleta motel when
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies showed up pursuant to a 911 Emergency call reported
motel residents threatening other residents with a gun. According to SBSD Public Information
Officer Raquel Zick, deputies quickly identified a vehicle associated with the alleged threats.
While deputies were outside examining the suspect vehicle, “two women exited a motel room
with three young children” in tow. Deputies warned the women about the potential danger of
an armed individual nearby, whereupon the women indicated they had no knowledge of any
incident in the area and that they were in their motel room alone with the kids.
Moments later, however, deputies determined that one of the women was actually the owner
of the vehicle under suspicion. At that point, both women, 24-year-old Santa Barbara resident
Ana Sanchez and 25-year-old Yesenia Ybarra were taken into custody on suspicion of
obstructing a peace officer.
Further inspection of Sanchez’s vehicle lead to the discovery of “a loaded shotgun on the rear
floorboard between two child car seats.” At that point, an inspection of the motel room from
which the two women had exited was in order. In spite of the fact that they’d been told the
room was now empty, the cops discovered the door locked from inside.
Moments later, with the door flying off its hinges, deputies discovered four male residents of
Goleta inside the motel room: Brandon A. Topete, 25, Gilberto Solis, 24, Jorge A. Fernandez, 18,
and Dylan A. Jaregui-Salinas, 22. At that point, the four men were all taken into custody and
transported to Santa Barbara County Jail.
Solis—a convicted felon on active probation—was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and is currently held without bail.
Topeta, Fernandez, Jaregui-Salinas, Ybarra, and Sanchez were all charged on multiple counts
involving felony conspiracy, assault with a firearm, felony child cruelty, and obstructing a peace
officer.
Photos: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
