The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office on Monday released the names of 18 people suspected of burglarizing the same Carpinteria cannabis operation on the 4000 block of Foothill Road twice earlier this year.
Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Raquel Zick said deputies identified 19 suspects — 17 adults and two juveniles — believed to be involved in two burglaries that targeted the cannabis farm on Jan. 17 and Feb. 4.
During those two burglaries, suspects stole 2,000 pounds of cannabis, worth over $500,000, per Zick.
The nine suspects believed to be involved in the Jan. 17 burglary include:
- Dvaryae Deshawn Bryant, 22, Los Angeles
- Jeremiah Exzavis Wilson, 23, Lancaster
- Isaiah Jovan Lee Piggue, 22, Lancaster
- Jerry Angel Meneses Lopez, 26, Santa Monica
- Justin Lawrence Smith, 26, Gardena
- Kyre Albert Amari Richard, 21, Palmdale
- Larry Eudell Lockridge III, 34, Los Angeles
- London Malik Rogers, 25, Hawthorne
- Norman Jay Williams, 37, Los Angeles
The eight suspects believed to be involved in the Feb. 4 burglary include:
- Abraham Bustos, 21, Lynwood
- Angel Alexis Rivera, 19, Lynwood
- Jathan Douglas Matthews, 18, Los Angeles
- Male juvenile, 17, South Gate (name withheld)
- Male juvenile, 17, Lynwood (name withheld)
- Justin Edward Castillo, 26, Cudahy
- Katherine Chantal Lopez, 30, Los Angeles
- Kevin Lamar Hardy, 21, Bellflower
- Vincent Joshua Rioz, 22, Santa Fe Springs
A Santa Barbara Superior Court judge issued a $20,000 warrant for burglary, grand theft and conspiracy for each suspect Monday morning, Zick said.
Bustos and the two juveniles were taken into custody earlier this year, after their blue BMW crashed while allegedly fleeing the scene in February.
The remaining 15 suspects were not in custody as of Monday.
One of the initial suspects identified by investigators was murdered on Feb. 16, Zick said. Their name was not released.
The Sheriff’s Office has not identified which farm was the target of these thefts. There are 25 permitted cannabis operations in the Carpinteria Valley, located across 134 acres. Five are based on the 4000 block of Foothill Road.
Members of the public with information about the suspects are asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division at 805.681.4150 or the anonymous tipline at 805.681.4171.
Sheriff Bill Brown said the cases show “the commitment of our detectives to identifying every suspect involved in organized property crimes, no matter how long the investigation takes.
“We will continue to aggressively investigate those who target legal cannabis and other businesses in Santa Barbara County, and we will work with our law enforcement partners to locate and apprehend these suspects. Let this be a lesson for out-of-town criminals who seek to prey upon Santa Barbara County victims and businesses,” he said.
