deputies, CHP respond to false report about shooter

San Marcos High School goes on lockdown; law enforcement determines call was a hoax

By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office responded Monday morning to a report of an active shooter at San Marcos High School that was quickly determined to be a “swatting” call that turned out to be a hoax.

The incident began at approximately 10:26 a.m., when deputies, along with California Highway Patrol, responded to San Marcos High School, while County Fire and American Medical Response staged

Please see HOAX on A4

Carjacking suspect appears in court

By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

A Santa Maria man accused of participating in beating two people and then robbing them and another adult, appeared in court Monday for arraignment on charges connected to that incident as well as a January carjacking.

Mr. Dolores Morelos was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail, where he was being held Monday without bail.

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By ANNIKA BAHNSEN NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT

Elings Park, located on the Mesa of Santa Barbara, has been making grand changes to its landscape and facilities to enhance its beauty.

Twice the size of Disneyland, the park is the largest privately funded park in the United States. The park provides the community with breathtaking views, recreational fields, wedding venues, hiking trails and more.

Since 2019, the park has been undergoing major changes to its property. Titled the “Elings Park Infrastructure Campaign,” also known as “EPIC!,” this $10 million project is designed to completely transform the park. The “EPIC!” project includes improvements at the park’s Las Positas Tennis Center.

On Monday, the park held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the tennis center to unveil the new bathrooms. This was the completion of the first of three phases of the construction of the

Please see TENNIS on A4

FYi

Elings Park is located at 1298 Las Positas Road, Santa Barbara. For more information, go to elingspark. org or contact the park at 805-569-5611 or info@ elingspark.org.

The case, however, was continued to Wednesday for further arraignment, Deputy District Attorney Bryant Estep said.

Santa Maria police announced last Thursday they had arrested Saul Dolores Morelos, 19, early in the morning on March 29 in connection with an armed robbery that took place about a half hour earlier.

At approximately 12:41 a.m. March 29, Santa Maria police patrol officers were sent to the 900 block of East Jones Street regarding a robbery that had just occurred. Officers responded and located three adult victims of robbery, Sgt. Daniel Rios said.

“Two victims reported being physically assaulted before personal property was forcibly taken from them by the suspects (small group of juveniles and/or young adults),” Sgt. Rios said.

“During the commission of the crime, one of the suspects brandished a firearm.” email: nhartsteinnewspress@ gmail.com

The suspects left the area in a vehicle that collided with a parked vehicle while fleeing the scene, Sgt. Rios said.

Patrol officers’ investigation led to a suspect vehicle being identified. At approximately 1:14 a.m., officers located and conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle.

The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle, Mr. Dolores Morelos, was ultimately arrested on suspicion of conspiracy and robbery. Vehicle damage to the suspect vehicle was also tied to the parked vehicle that was hit while fleeing the scene.

Later on March 29, SMPD Detective Cole Whitney conducted a subsequent followup investigation that led to Mr. Dolores Morelos being identified as an additional suspect in a Jan. 30 armed carjacking in Santa Maria. So he was booked on suspicion of carjacking, too.

On March 26, Santa Maria police arrested a 17-year-old suspect in connection with the Jan. 30 carjacking, plus another one on Jan. 23, both occurring in Santa Maria.

He was considered the primary suspect in both carjackings.

The juvenile, whose name was not released because of his age, is a known gang member, police said. His arrest was the result of an ongoing investigation by detectives.

The Santa Maria Police Department’s Detective Bureau, with assistance from the Santa Maria Police Department’s SWAT Team, served search-andarrest warrants at a residence in the 1200 block of West Bethel Lane around 11 p.m. on March 26.

The 17-year-old juvenile was taken into custody during the execution of the warrant service without incident.

He was booked into the Santa Barbara County Juvenile Hall on suspicion of carjacking (two counts), vandalism and gang enhancement.

Anyone with further information related to any of these investigations is encouraged to contact Detective Whitney at 805-928 -3781, ext. 1329, or the SMPD Communications Center, ext. 2277.

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