– By F. Scott Faulkner
CARPINTERIA, CA — March 9, 2026 –
On the afternoon of March 7, a Santa Barbara County Fire Truck went suddenly missing from
the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Station.
The response was swift, and within minutes after the theft of the station’s Ford F-250, 59-year-
old Valencia resident Frank Edward Peralta was facing some fairly outraged firemen along with a
handful of Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department deputies.
According to SBSD Public Information Officer Raquel Zick, the incident unfolded “shortly
before 2 p.m. when the vehicle, which had been parked near the station, was driven away.”
Deputies and firefighters quickly began searching the surrounding area. Minutes later,
“emergency radio traffic” tracked the truck to nearby downtown Carpinteria.
Fire personnel who had responded to the situation “confronted the driver” after the truck was
located and removed him from the vehicle. Deputies then took the suspect into custody.
Peralta was was taken into custody and transported to the Santa Barbara County Jail where he
was booked on a charge of theft of an emergency vehicle. He remains in custody with his bail set
at $30,000.
Photo: Stock Image
