The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 26-year-old woman for allegedly stealing a $30,000 equine ultrasound machine, mail, golf clubs and other packages from the Hope Ranch neighborhood.
Authorities arrested Pamela Hoppers, a Goleta resident, about 10:30 a.m.on Thursday.
Hoppers allegedly stole passports, credit cards, checkbooks, laptops, cameras, coffee makers, deep fryers and other likely Christmas gifts, authorities said.
Hope Ranch Security followed the suspect, who was driving a silver SUV, as she allegedly parked at different houses in Hope Ranch, according to the sheriff’s department.
Sheriff’s deputies stopped Hoppers near the corner of Las Positas and Modoc roads, and a search of her vehicle yielded stolen mail on the dashboard and “copious amounts” of suspected stolen property, sheriff’s spokeswoman Kelly Hoover said in a statement.
Authorities are examining the items and will contact potential victims, Hoover added.
Deputies also reportedly found needles, foil and other drug paraphernalia, the sheriff’s department said.
Hoppers was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail on $50,000 bail, on suspicion of possession of stolen property, mail theft, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.