Full Notification

Sergio Ivan Soto, age 30, of Santa Barbara, was arrested for numerous felonies including possession of an AK-47 assault rifle.  Soto is a felon whose criminal history includes a conviction for being an associate of an Oxnard area criminal street gang.

On May 2, 2013 at 5:40 p.m., an officer from the Santa Barbara Police Department’s Criminal Impact Team was standing on 300 W. Pueblo Street when he saw Soto drive by in a silver Nissan Altima.  The officer recognized Soto as someone whom SBPD detectives had just obtained a felony arrest warrant for forgery.  The officer went to his car and followed Soto’s vehicle, in the process noticing that it was displaying fraudulent registration tabs.  The officer initiated a traffic stop on 2400 Fletcher Avenue and contacted Soto, who initially gave a false name.  Soto was arrested for his warrant, for providing false information to a peace officer, and for displaying fraudulent registration tabs.

Soto’s vehicle was searched incident to his arrest.  A small quantity of methamphetamine, a meth pipe, and other drug paraphernalia were found inside the passenger compartment.  Also found there were nine personal and business checks belonging to different people and sensitive items of mail consisting of social security paperwork, bills, bank statements, and tax returns belonging to four others.  Several of the owners were later contacted and all advised that Soto did not have permission to be in possession of their checks or mail.

The trunk of Soto’s vehicle was found to contain a semi-automatic AK-47 rifle with a collapsible stock, fourteen-inch barrel, and detachable thirty-round magazine.  The magazine was loaded with twenty-two rounds of 7.62x39 mm ammunition.  The weapon is not registered.

Soto was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail for his warrant and on the following charges with a bail amount of $250,000.00:

• Possession of an assault rifle, felony
• Transportation of an assault rifle, felony
• Convicted gang member / violent felon in possession of a firearm, felony
• Felon in possession of a firearm, felony
• Felon in possession of ammunition, felony
• Possession of stolen property (3 counts), felony
• Possession of methamphetamine, felony
• Possession of drug paraphernalia, misdemeanor
• False information to a peace officer, misdemeanor
• Fraudulent registration tabs, misdemeanor