Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies arrested two people who they say are responsible for a number of recent thefts.
The first report of a theft from a vehicle reportedly came in on Dec. 17 in Orcutt. Sheriff’s officials say the victim reported numerous fraudulent credit and debit card transactions following the theft.
Investigators say they were able to obtain surveillance video that helped them identify the suspect as Andrea Reyes, 34, of Santa Maria.
Reyes was reportedly arrested on Christmas Eve. During her arrest, deputies say they found more than 1,000 items of stolen property, including stolen mail and packages, credit and debit cards, purses, bags, makeup, and a variety of newly bought store merchandise.
Investigators say the thefts ranged from Santa Barbara to San Luis Obispo County.
Reyes was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on charges of false personation, identity theft, credit card fraud, receiving stolen property, conspiracy, and destroying/concealing evidence. She’s also reportedly facing charges of possession of burglary tools, possession of narcotics, mail theft, grand theft and multiple vehicle and commercial burglaries.
Sheriff’s officials say during the investigation, they identified a second suspect as Dustin Kinsey, 40, of Santa Maria.
Kinsey was reportedly arrested on Dec. 26 and booked into the county jail on suspicion of possession of stolen property, committing a felony while on bail, intending to avoid vehicle registration requirements and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The investigation also reportedly led deputies to a storage unit in Santa Maria that was found to have a “substantial amount” of stolen property including electronics, purses, makeup and an unregistered firearm.
Anyone with information that could assist investigators in this case is urged to contact the sheriff’s Santa Maria station at (805) 934-6150 or the sheriff’s non-emergency line at (805) 683-2724. Anonymous tips can be made by calling (805) 681-4171 or visiting the sheriff’s website.
