Santa Maria police officers responded Tuesday morning to a report of a possible burglary in progress at a home in the 500 block of Richard Street and arrested four suspects on unrelated charges.
Sgt. Paul Van Meel said officers arrived at the home about 8 a.m. and began attempting to contact anyone inside.
He said a man was seen inside the home and was aware of the officers’ presence, but he wouldn’t come to the door.
The officers eventually made contact with and detained two men who exited the home, according to Van Meel. A short time later, a woman who also had left the residence was also detained.
Officers conducting a search inside the residence found two people hiding within a barricaded room, and they were also detained, according to Van Meel.
He said the initial report of a residential burglary in progress was determined to be unfounded.
Ramon Maldonado, 36, who Van Meel said is a documented gang member from Santa Maria, was arrested on warrant and probation violations out of Monterey County.
Alfred Plaza, 50, also a documented gang member from Santa Maria, was arrested on a parole violation and warrant.
Nancy Cerna, 29, was arrested on a charge of being under the influence of a controlled substance.
Taunya Gaitan, 46, was arrested on a warrant violation.
Van Meel said all four suspects were booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail.
— Noozhawk managing editor Michelle Nelson can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
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