Officer injured during arrest
SANTA BARBARA — At approximately 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, the Santa Barbara Police Combined Communications Center received a report of a fight involving multiple subjects in the 200 block of West Carrillo Street.
The police response resulted in an arrest and an injury to an officer, Sgt. Ethan Ragsdale, the public information officer, said.
Police responded after receiving the report to the communications center, which said one of the suspects was possibly armed with a knife.
When officers arrived on the scene, they encountered a highly agitated individual who allegedly threatened to fight officers, Sgt.Ragsdale said.
He said the suspect was identified as Anthony Isaace Ramirez, 29, of Lompoc. He said Mr. Ramirez refused to comply with officers’ verbal commands and was profusely bleeding from a hand injury.
Sgt. Ragsdale said Mr. Ramirez had to be physically restrained by officers in order to be taken into custody.
During this time, he was allegedly combative, “bucking” his body, and refused to be placed inside a patrol vehicle once under arrest, Sgt .Ragsdale said.
Sgt. Ragsdale said Mr. Ramirez was combative to the point that he violently pushed one of the arresting officers, causing him to lose his balance and strike his head on the metal quarter of a police vehicle.
Mr. Ramirez then pivoted and allegedly kicked the officer in the face while he was still on the ground, causing the officer to again strike his head on the police vehicle, Sgt. Ragsdale said.
The officer lost consciousness due to the alleged attack.
Paramedics arrived on the scene, and officers were able to move Mr. Ramirez to a gurney, where he was given sedatives so he could be safely transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital and treated for his hand injury.
The officer was also transported to the Cottage Hospital Emergency Department, where he was treated for facial injury, head trauma and a possible concussion.
Mr. Ramirez was medically treated, cleared and transported to Santa Barbara County Jail, where he was booked on suspicion of felony battery on a peace officer, felony battery causing great bodily injury and felony resisting/attacking a Peace Officer with Violence.
His bail is set at $50, 000.
The officer was released from the hospital and will be on medical leave for an undetermined amount of time.
— Katherine Zehnder
Counties, company settle civil action
SANTA BARBARA —Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce E. Dudley announced Tuesday that her Consumer and Environmental Protection Unit, as part of a team with seven other district attorneys, settled a civil action against Builder Services Group, Inc., dba TruTeam of California.
TruTeam is an insulation contractor that operates throughout California, including in Santa Maria and previously in Goleta.
In February 2017, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department responded to a fire at TruTeam’s facility located in Goleta.
The district attorney’s office explained the fire was caused by unlawful treatment of hazardous waste, which included combining two wastes-liquid resins that resulted in igniting nearby materials. The Santa Barbara County Certified Unified Program Agency, which is part of county Environmental Health Services, issued a notice of violation directing TruTeam to properly manage its hazardous waste and implement a Hazardous Materials Business Plan. The plan tells first responders about which hazardous materials are at a business.
Another fire occurred in August 2018 at the Goleta facility.
Further investigation led district attorneys to allege violations relating to TruTeam facilities in Santa Barbara County and seven other counties.
TruTeam and the district attorneys of Santa Barbara, Alameda, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, San Diego and Stanislaus counties stipulated to the entry of final judgment in this case.
The following provisions are included in the final judgment: civil penalties amounting to $279,500; $80,00 to supplemental environmental projects; and $50,000 in cost reimbursement. Civil penalties amount to: $68,446 to Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office; $16,250 to Santa Barbara CUPA; and $17,500 to State of California General Fund, Toxic Substances Control Account. Environmental Projects include: $20,000 to Craig Thompson Environmental Protection Prosecution Fund; $20,000 to CUPA Forum Environmental Protection Trust Fund; and $40,00 California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (“CalRecycle”), Farm and Ranch Solid Waste Cleanup and Abatement Grant Program. Cost Reimbursement includes: $11,375 to Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office; $5,654 to Santa Barbara CUPA; and $32,971 among the other district attorney’s Offices on the prosecution team and the other environmental health inspection agencies who contributed to the case.
“These violations threatened the safety of the public, employees and first responders, thus my office takes very seriously the failure to comply with hazardous-waste and hazardous-materials laws,” Ms. Dudley said.
— Katherine Zehnder
Deputies rescue victim from fire
Santa Barbara County Fire Department responds to a Goleta fire.
GOLETA — Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputies rescued an unconscious woman Tuesday evening from a structure fire.
At approximately 4:53 pm, deputies responded with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department to the report of a structure fire in the 100 block of Orange Avenue in Goleta.
The first to arrive on scene was Sheriff’s Deputy Rockwell Ellis and Senior Deputy David Ashley. They found an unconscious woman on the floor inside of an apartment filled with smoke and flames. The woman was non-responsive, and her clothing was beginning to catch fire.
Senior Deputy Ashley patted out the flames on the woman’s clothing and pulled her out the door with the assistance of Deputy Ellis.
The deputies then worked together to carry the woman down the flight of stairs and to the street, said Raquel Zick, the Sheriff’s Office public information officer.
Moments later, County Fire arrived on the scene and began fighting the fire. American Medical Response arrived shortly after and took over medical care of the victim.
Additional ambulances were dispatched for deputies who had inhaled significant smoke during the rescue.
Both the victim and the deputies were dispatched to local hospitals. The status of the victim is unknown. Both deputies walked out of the hospital shortly after 7 p.m. and were expected to recover.
— Katherine Zehnder
