Good morning, Central Coast. Check out these stories from Daybreak:
- Python skin boots seized in SLO raid: California Department of Fish and Wildlife officers confiscated 85 pairs of python skin boots during a raid at Salinas Charreria Western Wear in San Luis Obispo. Selling python skin is prohibited in California, and investigators are now looking into the SLO store and a second location in Santa Barbara County.
- Grover Beach man due in court in gym peeping case: A Grover Beach man is scheduled to be arraigned today on charges connected to an alleged peeping incident at the Arroyo Grande Planet Fitness. Prosecutors say 40-year-old Kyle Combs secretly recorded women inside tanning booths and is facing 12 misdemeanor counts of invasion of privacy.
- Guilty verdict in Stearns Wharf murder case: A jury has found Jiram Tenorio Ramon guilty on all counts in the 2022 shooting death of Robert Gutierrez at Stearns Wharf. The conviction comes after a second trial, following a hung jury in the first case, with jurors reaching a verdict after one day of deliberations.
A new Point-in-Time Count found 1,118 people were experiencing homelessness in San Luis Obispo County on a single night in January, marking a decrease from the previous count. Officials say the report also shows fewer people living unsheltered, while more people are accessing shelter services, which they credit to expanded housing resources and community partnerships. The findings were presented to the San Luis Obispo City Council this week as local leaders continue working toward reducing homelessness countywide.
Community members gathered outside Camp Canine in Santa Barbara to protest after a dog named Bruce drowned while at the daycare facility. The owners say they weren't immediately notified of the incident, while the business has temporarily closed as police and Animal Control investigate what happened. Camp Canine has apologized publicly and says it's implementing operational changes to improve safety.
More than 500 people attended Ganna Walska Lotusland's annual sold-out fundraiser, Botanical Splendor, in Montecito. Celebrity guests included Martha Stewart and actress Jane Lynch, who helped celebrate the nonprofit garden's legacy of horticulture, conservation and philanthropy. Proceeds from the event support Lotusland, a 37-acre botanical garden that has welcomed visitors for more than 30 years.
