2018

Patient carjacks ambulance and leads police on chase

In a bizarre sequence of events on Sunday, a man went from being strapped to a gurney and on his way to the hospital to leading Southern California law enforcement on a nearly 70-mile chase in a stolen ambulance. Along... (Continue reading)

San Luis Obispo police searching for missing Men’s Colony psychologist

San Luis Obispo police are searching for a missing 49-year-old man who works as a clinical psychologist at the California Men’s Colony. [Cal Coast Times] Barry Mactarnaghan was reported missing on Thursday, according to police. Investigators describe Mactarnaghan as being... (Continue reading)

Dumb criminal puts on mask after caught stealing alcohol in Templeton

San Luis Obispo County deputies are searching for an allegedly armed man who attempted to steal some alcohol from the Chevron gas station in Templeton on Friday afternoon. [Cal Coast Times] After the owner of the Las Tablas Road store... (Continue reading)

Gap to shut underperforming store in San Luis Obispo

The Gap company is closing its clothing store in San Luis Obispo at the end of January along with hundreds of other underperforming stores. The Gap store in Santa Barbara is slated to remain open. During the third quarter of... (Continue reading)

Pastor convicted of trying to meet underage girl for sex in Arroyo Grande

A San Luis Obispo jury convicted a former Canadian pastor on Friday of a felony count of arranging to meet a minor for lewd purposes, a charge that came as a result of a sting operation conducted by Arroyo Grande... (Continue reading)

Strike ends, San Luis Obispo County signals fiscal troubles ahead

By JOSH FRIEDMAN Following the first strike in San Luis Obispo County government history, officials are not planning on any further salary negotiations for the current fiscal year. Early next year, the county will discuss increases in pay for the... (Continue reading)

Central Coast school targeted in nationwide bitcoin bomb threat

A Central Coast school and a hotel received emails Thursday demanding bitcoin payments and threatening to detonate bombs if their demands were not met, as part of a possibly worldwide failed extortion attempt. [Cal Coast Times] The bomb threat was... (Continue reading)

Nationwide E. coli outbreak linked to county supervisor’s Santa Maria farm

Federal investigators have traced a nationwide E. coli outbreak involving contaminated romaine lettuce, in part, to a Santa Maria farm that is owned by the family of Santa Barbara County Supervisor Peter Adam. [Cal Coast Times] Between Oct. 5 and... (Continue reading)

Atascadero man trolls judge during sentencing

The Atascadero man convicted of making criminal threats on Facebook against the organizers of the Women’s March San Luis Obispo appears to have a habit of trolling. [Tribune] Daniel Joshua Phares, 46, pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of... (Continue reading)

Will California tax text messages?

The California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is proposing a fee on text messages that would fund public telecommunications programs such as subsidized phone rates for low-income residents. [SF Chronicle] It is likely the fee would be billed as a flat... (Continue reading)