Mountain lion heard roaring in backyard of Montecito home
Gretchen Lieff, vice president of the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network, meets with Dustin Pearce of the state Fish and Wildlife Department. She said she heard a mountain lion. See the video of Ms. Lieff, Mr. Pearce and Miles Hartfeld at newspress.com.
MONTECITO — A Montecito couple heard the loud roar in their backyard Monday afternoon, a roar that seemed to come from a mountain lion. After his German shepherd Schatze ran from the lower part of his backyard to its upper section, Karl Storz Imaging general manager, Miles Hartfeld, then heard a loud roar, followed by a flurry of birds fluttering away in a hurry.
Mr. Hartfeld told the News-Press that he suspects a mountain lion roared at Schatze to scare the dog away.
According to his fiancé, Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network vice president Gretchen Lieff and personnel from the County of Santa Barbara Fish and Wildlife Commission then came by their home at 935 Arcady Road and confirmed the roar had come from a mountain lion. This was determined after a biologist examined a grass regurgitation that was found in the yard.
“The wildlife biologist definitely said it came from a cat and it was too large for a bobcat,” Ms. Lieff said.
Mr. Hartfeld inferred that the mountain lion showing up could be the reason for why he has recently smelled something dead in the yard of a neighboring house with owners currently away for a couple months. He added that the naturalist who showed up at his house Monday afternoon thought the mountain lion had killed something in the yard next door and was resting on its kill.
However, no creature alive or dead was found in the neighbor’s yard that day.
—Josh Grega
Robbery Suspect from Goleta Arrested
GOLETA — Loren Allen, 44, of Goleta was arrested for attempted robbery (felony) and battery (felony) on Saturday, August 8.
He is being held on $50,000 bail at the Main Jail.
Goleta Police responded to the bluffs area in the 8300-block of Hollister to a report of attempted theft. The victim reported a male subject had punched her several times while trying to steal her property.
She had multiple injuries but denied emergency medical attention.
The suspect was located by UCSB Police Officers near Anisq’Oyo Park in Isla Vista.
–Grayce McCormick
