Nipomo

Deputies recapture escaped inmate

An inmate from the California Men's Colony who walked away from a work detail in Arroyo Grande in December was recaptured Tuesday in the Nipomo area, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department.

Francisco Moreno, who goes by the street name “Todo,” was arrested shortly after 1 p.m. by sheriff's deputies and members of the department's Gang Task Force and narcotics unit.

Moreno, who was the focus of an intense search in the weeks following his escape, was spotted on Thompson Avenue between Tefft Street and Highway 166, a Sheriff's Department spokesman said.

Gang Task Force deputies had continued to work the case and presumed that the fugitive, accused of being a member of a criminal street gang, was still in the San Luis Obispo County area because one of his tattoos bore the “805” area code, a symbol identifying him with a local gang, the spokesman said.

Moreno, 21, was booked Tuesday into San Luis Obispo County Jail on charges of escape and will be returned to the California Department of Corrections, where he was serving a sentence for receiving stolen property in Santa Barbara County.

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Prior to his escape, he had been eligible for parole in February 2009.

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Santa Maria

New champion in menudo contest

Maya Restaurant in Santa Maria won first place in the “people's choice” category at the Santa Maria Menudo Festival for the contest's first two years, but a new champion reigned this year.

Garibaldi's Restaurant in Guadalupe swept first place honors in all three categories this year at the Menudo Festival that benefits the Latino Peace Officers Association.

A dozen area restaurants were invited to bring their menudo to the Santa Maria Fairpark Sunday for the event, which drew close to 1,500 people, said Alfredo Ruiz, president of the Latino Peace Officers Association in Santa Barbara County and an officer with the Santa Maria Police Department.

Ruiz said the restaurants donated their time and products, and they encouraged community members to attend and support the establishments that participated.

In the category of people's choice, Cielito Lindo Mexican Grill in Santa Maria took second place and Maya Restaurant earned third.

Maya earned second place for the judges' award, and Popolo Rotisserie Cafe in San Luis Obispo took third.

In the best booth category, Popolo took second place and La Hacienda Restaurant in Santa Maria won third.

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Santa Maria

Fair announces

two acts for 2008

The 2008 Santa Barbara County Fair will rock with the sounds of Little Anthony & The Imperials along with Chubby Checker and the Wildcats on July 10.

Officials announced the fair's second-night entertainment for the main stage, which fits with the 2008 theme of “Rock Around the Clock.” The fair will open July 9 and close July 13 at the Santa Maria Fairpark.

The groups' songs include “Tears On My Pillow,” “Shimmy, Shimmy Ko-Ko Bop,” “The Twist,” and “Limbo Rock.”

The fair's third night of entertainment will go country with a performance by Craig Morgan. His hits include “I Got You,” “Redneck Yacht Club,” and “International Harvester.”

All main stage entertainment is free with fair admission.

For more information, call the fairpark office at 925-8824.

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Santa Barbara County

Super Bowl Sunday crackdown planned

Nine percent more people get hurt in alcohol-related crashes on Super Bowl Sunday in California than on an average Sunday, and Santa Barbara County is planning to crack down on drunken drivers this weekend.

Extra deputies and cars will be patrolling for drunken drivers from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday in Goleta and Carpinteria as part of the “Avoid the 12” multi-jurisdictional enforcement effort, organizers said.

“Plan for a sober designated driver before you go to watch the game with your family and friends,” said Santa Barbara County sheriff's deputy Win Smith, “Avoid the 12” coordinator.

“If you're the one giving the party, remember that you could be held liable if someone you served alcohol to ends up in a DUI crash,” he said.

The California Office of Traffic Safety encourages those throwing parties to serve a lot of food and a variety of non-alcoholic beverages, and to stop serving alcohol by the end of the third quarter of the game.

- From staff reports