Orcutt

Residents celebrate Veterans day

Local residents are invited to honor the country's veterans with the Orcutt American Legion Post 534 at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Pine Grove Cemetery in Orcutt.

Following the salute to veterans at the cemetery, which is at Bradley and Stubblefield roads, attendees are invited to the Orcutt post at 145 W. Clark Ave. for refreshments and a memorial speech by an active-duty Marine stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Santa Maria

SMPD asking for help to find suspect

Law enforcement is asking for the public's help in finding a Santa Maria man they believe is armed and dangerous.

Joseph Liendo Deleon, 33, of Santa Maria, is a convicted felon and a wanted parolee, known to be armed with guns, Santa Maria police said.

They ask anyone with information on his whereabouts to notify the Santa Maria Police Department at 928-3781 or call Crime Stoppers at (877) 800-9100.

San Luis Obispo

Carjacking suspect caught Friday night

A Grover Beach resident suspected of carjacking, kidnapping and robbery last week in San Luis Obispo was caught Friday night at the Gaviota Tunnel rest stop, according to San Luis Obispo city police.

Ryan Joseph Soqui, 23, of Grover Beach, is believed to have abducted a young woman in her car near the Cal Poly campus Wednesday night and taken her to an ATM machine for the purpose of withdrawing money for him, police said.

The woman was able to escape, but Soqui fled and was spotted in Arroyo Grande. After crashing the vehicle when police gave chase, Soqui eluded officers on foot, according to police.

An arrest warrant was issued for Soqui and the next day, San Luis Obispo police traveled to Los Angeles to search an area where the suspect possibly frequented.

On Friday, the police received information that Soqui was near Isla Vista to meet a woman identified as Chris Ann Newman, 44, of Grover Beach.

Law enforcement spotted her car in Isla Vista and followed her and a male passenger to the Gaviota Tunnel rest stop, where Soqui was identified and arrested, police said.

He was booked into jail with a bail amount that would have been $1 million, Sgt. Janice Goodwin of the San Luis Obispo police said, but Soqui was "uneligible for release because of a parole hold."

Los Padres Nat'l Forest

Adventure Pass not need Wednesday

To mark Veterans Day on Nov. 11, the U.S. Forest Service is not requiring visitors to have the Adventure Pass while in Los Padres National Forest that day as a way to honor America's veterans and military personnel. The "Fee Free Day" applies to all areas of the forest except the lower Santa Ynez recreation area, the Forest Service said.

The pass is normally required for day-use activities in most areas of the forest. Reservation fees and group site fees will still apply.

For more Information, visit www.fs.fed.us/r5/lospadres.

- From staff reports