Two people who were arrested over the weekend as suspects in a rash of auto burglaries in Goleta and elsewhere in Santa Barbara County are facing numerous criminal charges, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
Jamal J. Rutledge, 24, of Richmond and Emily Rodriguez, 19, of San Francisco were booked into Santa Barbara County Jail after being arrested Saturday afternoon, said Raquel Zick, a sheriff’s public information officer.
At about 3:30 p.m. Saturday, a deputy on patrol in Carpinteria observed a vehicle that had been connected to several vehicle break-ins reported earlier in the day at a Goleta shopping center, she said.
The deputy tried to get close enough to make a traffic stop on the black sedan, but was unable to do so.
However, a short time later, the sedan collided with another vehicle on southbound Highway 101 near the Santa Ynez Avenue overpass, Zick said.
The two occupants of the suspect vehicle — a man and a woman — fled on foot, but Rodriguez was quickly taken into custody nearby.
Rutledge was apprehended a short time later with the aid of a K-9 unit and a county helicopter.
The sedan had been reported stolen out of San Jose, and both Rodriguez and Rutledge were arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft.
Rutledge also was booked on suspicion of petty theft, receiving stolen property, and theft of personal property, Zick said.
In addition, he was being held on a no-bail warrant out of Richmond for being a felon in possession of a firearm, and a second warrant that alleged he was a felon in possession of firearm, carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle, and carrying a loaded firearm in public, Zick said.
He may also be facing burglary and vandalism charges in a separate case, she added.
Rutledge remained in custody Thursday night at County Jail, and was due in court for arraignment on Tuesday.
Rodriguez was released after posting $25,000 bail, Zick said.
In addition to the vehicle break-ins reported in Goleta, the pair are suspected in vehicle burglaries in Los Alamos and at El Capitán State Park, Zick said.
They also have been connected to at least one vehicle break-in in the city of Santa Barbara, according to Sgt. John Ingram of the Santa Barbara Police Department.
Items reportedly stolen from the Goleta-area vehicles were recovered from the stolen sedan, Zick said. Investigators also recovered other possibly stolen items, and are trying to determine whom they belong to.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.