By KAREN VELIE Santa Maria police officers on Friday arrested a 57-year-old suspect in a murder that occurred 35 years ago. On Sept. 18, 1988, investigators believe Aloysius Winthrop James killed 30-year-old Ofelia Sandoval at the Town Center Hotel on... (Continue reading)
By JOSH FRIEDMAN Police arrested a Santa Maria man on Tuesday for a drive-by shooting that wounded a 15-year-old girl earlier this year. At approximately 3:15 a.m. on Feb. 1, a 911 caller reported a shooting in the 800 block... (Continue reading)
By KAREN VELIE A shooting at Minami Park in Santa Maria left two men suffering from gunshot wounds on Sunday afternoon. Shortly after 1 p.m., 911 callers reported a shooting at the park, located near the intersection of Battles Road... (Continue reading)
By KAREN VELIE The Santa Maria Police Department is asking for the public’s help finding a missing 12-year-old girl, who is possibly in Arroyo Grande. The missing girl, Zayra Santos-García, was last seen on Saturday night. Investigators describe her as... (Continue reading)
By JOSH FRIEDMAN A driver on Thursday morning struck a 16-year-old Santa Maria girl who was walking to school, leaving the teen with major injuries and leading to a helicopter airlifting her to a Central Valley hospital. Shortly before 8... (Continue reading)
By KAREN VELIE Police arrested a 37-year-old Santa Maria man on Wednesday who was allegedly attempting to meet with what he thought was an 11-year-old girl and her mother for a sexual encounter with the child. While the man thought... (Continue reading)
By JOSH FRIEDMAN A San Luis Obispo County judge sentenced a Santa Maria man to 21 years and 8 months to life in prison for a second-degree murder conviction and other offenses stemming from him driving intoxicated and in the... (Continue reading)
By JOSH FRIEDMAN A Santa Barbara County judge on Wednesday sentenced a Santa Maria woman to 35 years to life in prison for murdering a man whose remains were found on a Nipomo golf course in 2020. Following a trial... (Continue reading)
By KAREN VELIE The official registrar for St. Joseph High School in Santa Maria has accused the principal of altering transcripts and ordering others to falsify high-performing athletes’ grades on official transcripts. Connie Plata, the school’s registrar, filed a blistering... (Continue reading)
By JOSH FRIEDMAN A San Luis Obispo County jury has convicted a Santa Maria woman of striking an Arroyo Grande police officer with her car, as well as driving under the influence of alcohol causing serious injury. Shortly before 6... (Continue reading)