AnonymousSource: Santa Maria Police Department
UPDATE:
On 7-1-2020, two suspects in a Santa Maria residential burglary, Julio Cesar Bautista (21 yrs. of Santa Maria) and Jazmin Martinez (21 yrs. of Santa Maria), were sentenced to 2 years in State Prison for 1st degree Burglary and Conspiracy to Commit Burglary. Both suspects were also court-ordered to pay full restitution to the victim. During the burglary, which occurred in December 2019, a safe with a large amount of money was stolen from an elderly victim’s home. In the ensuing days after the crime, the suspects travelled to the Los Angeles area and spent a large amount of the victim’s money on high-end clothing, expensive hotels and other extravagant purchases. Julio Cesar Bautista was arrested at his home in Santa Maria by SMPD Detectives on February 14, 2020. He was later released on bail and is scheduled to begin his prison sentence on July 16, 2020. Jazmin Martinez was arrested in Mesa, AZ on February 27, 2020 and has been in custody since then.
The Santa Maria PD Detective Bureau is continuing to seek the public’s help in recovering any of the stolen money and/or any property purchased by either of the suspects with the stolen money. Anyone with any information that would aid in these efforts is strongly encouraged to contact SMPD Detective Jesse Garcia at (805) 928-3781, ext. 1115.
ORIGINAL PRESS RELEASE:
On 12-28-2019, the Santa Maria Police Department was notified of a residential burglary where a safe with a large amount of money was stolen from an elderly victim’s home. The SMPD Detective Bureau initiated an investigation and learned of two suspects involved in the burglary, Julio Cesar Bautista (21 yrs. of Santa Maria) and Jazmin Martinez (21 yrs. of Santa Maria). On February 14, 2020, detectives served search warrants at two residences in Santa Maria; one in the 400 Blk. of E. Central and the other in the 1600 Blk. of N. Surrey Dr. Bautista was arrested at his residence in the 400 Blk. of E. Central and booked into Santa Barbara County Jail for residential burglary, grand theft, conspiracy and financial elder abuse. His bail was set at one million dollars.
The investigation continued and detectives discovered Martinez had fled to the Mesa, AZ area. An arrest warrant was issued for Martinez and SMPD detectives worked with the Mesa, AZ office of the FBI, the US Marshall’s Office, and Mesa, AZ Police Department to take Martinez into custody on February 27, 2020. A search warrant was also served at a residence where Martinez had been staying in Mesa, AZ. Martinez will be extradited to Santa Barbara County to face the same charges as Bautista. During the investigative search warrants, numerous items believed to have been purchased with the stolen money were recovered; the investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information about the residential burglary and/or stolen money is encouraged to contact the Santa Maria Police Department, Detective Jesse Garcia, at (805) 928-3781, ext. 1115.
