
Fire destroys barn in rural Santa Margarita
By JOSH FRIEDMAN A fire destroyed a 1,500-square-foot barn on Parkhill Road of rural Santa Margarita early Wednesday morning. Shortly before 5 p.m., a caller reported a structure on fire at Read More …
By JOSH FRIEDMAN A fire destroyed a 1,500-square-foot barn on Parkhill Road of rural Santa Margarita early Wednesday morning. Shortly before 5 p.m., a caller reported a structure on fire at Read More …
By JOSH FRIEDMAN Police officers arrested one of two Atascadero burglary suspects Tuesday evening in the lead-up to an unsuccessful manhunt in Santa Margarita. As previously reported by CalCoastNews, what began Read More …
By JOSH FRIEDMAN The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a reportedly missing woman who used to live in Santa Margarita and who may now be in the Read More …
By JOSH FRIEDMAN A shooting reportedly occurred in rural Santa Margarita Wednesday morning, possibly injuring one person. Shortly before 7:30 a.m., a 911 caller reported a medical emergency on Goldie Lane. Read More …
A 76-year-old Santa Margarita man was killed in a collision with a semi truck on Pozo Road Tuesday evening. Read More …
By JOSH FRIEDMAN
A rural Paso Robles man allegedly stole $30,000 worth of property, including rare train parts, from the Santa Margarita Ranch earlier this month.
Detectives eventually traced some of the stolen items to recycling centers in Santa Maria and Nevada and recovered most of the property. Deputies arrested the suspect last week.
On Oct. 11, a representative reported vandalism and theft at Santa Margarita Ranch in the 9000 block of Yerba Buena Avenue in Santa Margarita. Numerous items had been stolen, including multiple pieces of a steam locomotive train that were made of solid bronze and valued at more than $10,000, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office.
The train parts are extremely rare, with only eight sets of them in existence. One set is in New York, while the other seven are in California, with including the set taken from Santa Margarita Ranch.
Additionally, the thief stole two generators, drones and other equipment with a combined value of about $20,000, sheriff’s officials said.
Investigators from the Sheriff’s North Station and Rural Crimes Unit discovered evidence leading deputies to a suspect. On Oct. 20, detectives served a warrant at a home in the 300 block of Bridle Trail Lane in rural Paso Robles. Detectives found some items inside the home that were thought to be stolen, but none were related to the Santa Margarita theft.
But, investigators also found receipts for recycling centers in Santa Maria and Nevada. Most of the train parts, amounting to about 800 pounds of bronze, were then discovered at the Santa Maria recycling center. Several other stolen items were found at the recycling center in Nevada.
In all, authorities recovered about $20,000 worth of stolen property and returned the items to the rightful owners.
Deputies arrested Jacob Johnsen, 33, and booked him in the San Luis Obispo County Jail on charges of grand theft and receiving stolen property. Johnsen remains in custody with an undisclosed bail amount. Read More …
A Santa Margarita man who sexually abused girls over a span of more than three decades will likely spend the rest of his life in prison after being convicted on Wednesday of felony sex crimes against three children. Read More …
By JOSH FRIEDMAN For the third time since Monday, and at least the fifth time in the last 10 days, residents in the Santa Margarita area have lost power. Some residents Read More …
A fire burned slightly more than five acres of vegetation near Santa Margarita on Tuesday afternoon. Read More …
The San Luis Obispo County Parks and Recreation Department is asking the public for help in identifying suspects who have been vandalizing Santa Margarita Community Park. Read More …