Grover Beach
Two arrested for alleged car theft
Two men were arrested after they allegedly broke into and stole items from an unlocked vehicle parked in the 1600 block of Ramona Avenue early Wednesday morning.
At 12:40 a.m., Grover Beach police officers spoke to Christopher Obrien, 22, of Grover Beach and Mark Cothran, 36, of San Luis Obispo regarding suspicious activity involving vehicles parked in the 1400 block of Ramona Avenue.
Both men showed symptoms of being under the influence of a controlled substance, according to the Grover Beach Police Department.
Police determined that Obrien and Cothran had taken a checkbook, a cell phone and a flashlight from an unlocked vehicle. The property was returned to the victim.
Police were unsure whether other vehicles were broken into.
Cothran and Obrien were arrested on suspicion of theft, conspiracy and being under the influence of a controlled substance, and were booked into custody at San Luis Obispo County Jail.
Obrien was out of custody on a bail bond Wednesday, while Cothran was in custody with a no-bail parole hold.
Santa Maria
Man pleads not guilty to rape charges
A Los Alamos man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to raping an incompetent teenage girl.
Francisco Diaz Gutierrez, 51, entered a not-guilty plea in a Santa Maria courtroom to felony counts of the rape of an incompetent person, lewd acts on a child who was 14 to 15 years old and related counts, said Senior Deputy District Attorney Tom Allen.
The Santa Maria Police Department withheld the name of the alleged victim because she is a minor and the alleged victim of a sex crime. To protect the identity of the alleged victim, police also did not reveal the nature of her incompetency.
Gutierrez is due back in Santa Barbara County Superior Court in Santa Maria on Nov. 19.
Grover Beach
DUI arrest follows crash, departure
A Grover Beach man who allegedly crashed his vehicle into a power pole and fled Tuesday was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and hit-and-run driving with a suspended license.
Just after 8 p.m., Grover Beach police officers answered a call of a vehicle hitting a power pole near Rose Court and Farroll Road. Broc Butterworth, 19, allegedly fled before officers arrived.
Butterworth was found hiding in the 900 block of Rose Court and was later arrested, according to the Grover Beach Police Department.
Santa Maria
Suspicious packages turn out harmless
The Santa Barbara County sheriff's bomb squad was called Tuesday to open two suspicious packages at a Santa Maria business that turned out to contain clothes and personal items.
Police responded at about 4:30 p.m. to a call of a suspicious package at Quito's Mexican Restaurant in the 700 block of South Broadway, according to the Santa Maria Police Department.
When officers arrived, a second package was found just outside the building.
The bomb squad was summoned and opened the harmless packages.
SLO County
Health official to leave post
Dr. Greg Thomas, county public health officer and public health administrator, will be leaving his post with San Luis Obispo County in January to take a job with Cal Poly.
Thomas will officially begin working at Cal Poly Health Services on Jan. 31 and will stay on at the county Health Department until at least
Jan. 11, he told the Board of Supervisors Tuesday.
Thomas has been employed with the county for 20 years and has served as the Health Department's health officer and public health administrator for the last 15 years.
A replacement for Thomas hasn't been named, and County Administrative Officer David Edge said replacing Thomas “will be extremely hard to do.”
SLO County
Property tax bills in the mail
More than 126,000 property tax bills have been mailed, and San Luis Obispo County property owners should receive the notices by Saturday, according to County Tax Collector Frank Freitas.
Individuals who don't receive their property tax bills by Saturday should call the Tax Collector's Office at 781-5831.
Tax payment amounts and payment information can be viewed online at
www.slocounty.ca.gov/tax.
Santa Maria
City accepts state public safety grant
The Santa Maria City Council accepted an anticipated state grant allocation Tuesday under the Citizens' Option for Public Safety (COPS) Program. The money is slated to help pay for two additional police officer positions.
Under the legislation that guides the COPS program, the city is set to receive at least $100,000, according to the council staff report. The allocation is based on population and last year the city received $175,570. Officials expect to receive slightly more funding this year.
Santa Maria
‘Recycles Day' brings tote bag giveaway
In observance of “America Recycles Day” Nov. 15, officials with the Santa Maria Utilities Department are planning to hand out free tote bags that can be used at grocery stores in place of paper or plastic.
The tote bags will be distributed Nov. 14 at the city's farmers market.
The outreach campaign, dubbed “Tote A Tote Bag to the Grocery Store,” will put city staff members at the farmers market, at Town Center West, from 12:15 to 3 p.m.
Some of the bags, which feature the city symbol, are made from recycled plastic bottles, officials said.
- From staff reports
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