A person was shot in Santa Maria Sunday night in an incident police believe was gang related. The victim suffered a single gunshot wound, which is not believed to be life threatening. [KCOY] The shooting occurred just before 9:30 p.m.... (Continue reading)
A 52-year-old Santa Maria man has been convicted of raping and robbing women at gunpoint. His victims were prostitutes. On March 14, 2013, Gregory Arthur Erwin raped and robbed a woman at the San Luis Inn and Suites in San... (Continue reading)
Salinas and Santa Maria, two cities similar in size and demographics, are experiencing epidemics of gang violence. Both cities had record homicide totals last year. [KSBY] In 2015, there were 13 murders in Santa Maria and 40 in Salinas. There... (Continue reading)
Authorities arrested 15 foreign nationals from Honduras and El Salvador early Thursday morning as part of a multi-state operation targeting suspects in the city of Santa Maria’s recent murder spree. All of the suspects who were arrested are members or... (Continue reading)
In two separate altercations Saturday in Santa Maria, eight people were arrested and two ended up in the hospital. Shortly before 2 a.m., officers were dispatched to an altercation on the 600 block of East Tunnell Street. Police arrived to... (Continue reading)
By John Lindt, publisher of Sierra2theSea Some strawberry fields are not forever. El Dorado Berry Farms, a family owned and operated farming company which has grown its own strawberries and raspberries in California for more than eight years, permanently closed... (Continue reading)
Santa Maria police arrested a 15-year-old girl Wednesday for allegedly murdering her newborn infant, police said. The infant is the sixth person murdered in Santa Maria in 2016. On Sunday, staff at Marian Regional Medical Center informed law enforcement of... (Continue reading)
A 15-year-old boy was stabbed to death and two males were fatally shot on Monday in Santa Maria. The stabbing and shooting were separate incidents. In less than a month, there have been five murders in Santa Maria. Amid a string... (Continue reading)
With guns drawn, Santa Maria police arrested a 24-year-old Santa Maria man who was suspected of stealing diapers from the Walmart on Bradley Road on Saturday afternoon, police said. At approximately 3:30 p.m., Joseph Dollette told a loss prevention employee... (Continue reading)
Less than two weeks into 2016, two homicides have occurred in Santa Maria. In 2015, the city had a spike in killings with 13 murders. As with the last two murders of 2015, the first two killings of 2016 occurred... (Continue reading)