Michael Jolly
Man arrested on drug charges
SANTA MARIA — A man was arrested Friday on a pair of drug charges, police said.
Members of the Santa Maria Police Department Special Enforcement Team observed suspicious activity in the 200 block of East Main Street. Officers contacted 36-year-old Michael Jolly who attempted to discard a backpack that contained drugs, cash and a flare gun, according to authorities.
Mr. Jolly was found to be in possession of 100 grams of fentanyl, 21 grams of rock cocaine, 26 grams of heroin, 93 grams of methamphetamine, $700 cash and a flare gun. He was arrested on suspicion of transportation of drugs and possession of drugs for sale. The cash was seized pending asset forfeiture, police said.
— Mitchell White
Road closure planned next week
LOMPOC — State Route 1 will be closed to through traffic between Highway 101 in Las Cruces and State Route 246 near Lompoc next week due to bridge construction.
The closure is planned from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 10. Motorists traveling in both directions will detour by using the 246. State Route 1 will remain open for local traffic between the 101 and SR 1 interchange, with access maintained to Jalama Beach County Park. Jalama Road can only be accessed from the north side of the 1, according to Caltrans officials.
The closure is necessary to install a bridge girder as part of the Salsipuedes Creek Bridge Replacement Project, which includes a retaining wall and fish passage. The contractor for this $5 million project is CalPortland Construction of Santa Maria. The project is expected to be complete in Winter 2021.
Motorists are reminded to move over and slow down when driving through work zones.
— Mitchell White
Citations issued for illegal fireworks
SANTA MARIA — The Santa Maria Police Department issued an additional 11 citations Thursday night for the use of illegal fireworks.
As of Friday afternoon, the department has issued 15 citations. The fines for the citations are $1,000 each, according to authorities.
Those who witness the use of illegal fireworks can file a detailed report at www.cityofsantamaria.org/illegalfireworks.
— Mitchell White
Rollover sparks vegetation fire
LOS ALAMOS — A single-vehicle rollover crash sparked a small vegetation fire Friday night on Highway 101 near Los Alamos, authorities said.
Santa Barbara County Fire Department crews responded to the area at 6:20 p.m. Arriving units found a single-vehicle that had overturned and knocked down some power lines that started the fire, said Capt. Daniel Bertucelli, fire spokesman.
A full vegetation response was launched and crews were able to halt the forward progress of the fire, which burned around a half-acre, Capt. Bertucelli said.
The lone occupant of the vehicle was transported to a local hospital for treatment. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
— Mitchell White
