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Surf pounds beaches Waves splash tall and loud on the day after a night of heavy rain
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS
Rebecca Brand
By NEIL HARTSTEIN
Rebecca Brand seeks justice
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
This week’s major rainstorm has forced a one-week delay in the scheduled sentencing of a serial sexual predator who abused preteen and teenage girls he met online and by volunteering at school events. Zachary Arthur Warburg, 32, of Goleta was expected to be sentenced Thursday to four years in state prison after pleading guilty to multiple felony counts of child sexual abuse and child pornography. His attorney, however, is commuting from out of the area and requested a oneweek continuance due to road conditions, Deputy District Attorney Sarah Barkley told the News-Press. “The sentencing and remand should occur next Thursday, 1/12,” she said. Mr. Warburg pleaded guilty to four felonies and three misdemeanors in a plea bargain in a deal he made with county prosecutors at a Nov. 30 pretrial hearing. The plea agreement prevented the need for a trial that would have required his young victims to testify against him in open court. “By reaching a plea negotiation in this case, the victims will not have to suffer the trauma of a lengthy trial or relive the abuse and unwanted sexual advances through testimony,” the prosecutor said. “It is my hope that this plea and sentence will give the victims closure and help them move forward on their path towards healing. “Additionally, it is my hope that the consequences of his plea, including sex offender registration and his state prison sentence, prevent Mr. Warburg from committing future offenses and protect the children and teens of our community from further victimization.” Two of the felonies — lewd and lascivious behavior with a child under 14 and dissuading a witness — will count as strikes under the state’s Three Strikes law, prosecutor Barkley said. Mr. Warburg also pleaded guilty to felony charges of possession of child pornography and attempting to contact a minor to commit lewd acts. The three misdemeanors involved annoying, harassing or molesting a child with lewd intent. “In the legal sense, molesting means bothering (not physical child sexual abuse),” Ms. Barkley said. In addition to the prison term, Mr. Warburg will have to register as a sex offender, the prosecutor said. “He was a local photographer who did on scene photography at local newsworthy incidents (emergencies, fires, accidents etc.),” she said. “He also volunteered to photograph local youth theater and singing events. He met his victims through his volunteer Please see SENTENCING on A2
Santa Barbara resident talks to police about Christmas Eve attack that left her bruised By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
High waves crash Thursday into Goleta Pier and Goleta Beach following Wednesday night’s rainfall.
By DAVE MASON Long after the heavy rainfall stopped, Mother Nature wasn’t done with her show. Powerful, loud waves towered Thursday above the Goleta Pier and crashed with fury into Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara as amazed spectators watched. The drama also was seen Thursday in the rapid currents in creeks in Goleta, Santa Barbara and Montecito. In San Jose Creek in Goleta, two dogs were caught up in swift water for approximately one mile. They were rescued by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department’s Swift Water Rescue team with help from the Sheriff’s Office and Animal Control. (Before the rescue, a photo from County Fire showed one of the dogs had climbed to safety on a piece of wooden debris.) One of the dogs was rescued by a three-firefighter team who walked into the creek, where the water was up to their waists or higher. One firefighter carried the dog. The other canine was rescued by a firefighter who used a rope system, according to Capt. Scott Safechuck, public information officer for County Fire. This all happened around 8:30 a.m. Earlier on Thursday, rock slides on State Route 154 led to the highway’s closure between State Routes 246 and 192. The highway wasn’t reopened until 3 p.m. And because of flooding, Refugio Road was closed. Elsewhere, there were fallen trees and branches — the signs of a powerful, overnight storm. According to the Santa Barbara County Flood District, 3.87 inches of rain fell within a 24-hour period on the San Marcos Pass and 3.46 inches at Cachuma Dam. Lake Cachuma’s level stood at 693.65 acre-feet on Thursday.
Waves crash Thursday into Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara.
That’s about a third of its capacity. The flood district reported that nearly 2 inches of rain fell in Santa Barbara, a little over an inch in Goleta and 1.47 inches in Carpinteria. Again, those numbers are for a 24-hour period. The rainfall was similar in North County. During the same period, Santa Ynez saw 2.16 inches of rain; Buellton, 2.6 inches; Santa Maria, 1.44 inches. Los Alamos experienced 1.54 inches; Lompoc, nearly 2 inches. The highest amount of rainfall was reported at Gibraltar Dam, which experienced 4.8 inches of rain. The driest spot in the county appeared to be Cuyama, which experienced less than a half an inch in the same 24-hour period. The National Weather Service said less rain fell than expected. But before the worst of the Please see STORM on A3
Rebecca Brand is nothing if not determined. The Santa Barbara social influencer has spent the past two weeks making phone calls and sending texts and emails to police, prosecutors and city of Santa Barbara officials. She has insisted that they take her concerns seriously about the Christmas Eve attack that caused her a serious bruise. That’s when her alleged assailant repeatedly slammed Ms. Brand’s iPhone into her leg in an attempt to wrest it away from her. Ms. Brand sent the News-Press a photo of the bruise. Specifically, Ms. Brand wants to know why Nelly Gackowska hasn’t been charged with assaulting her in addition to robbery and grand theft, why the assault wasn’t included in the police report, and why she’s had such a hard time getting law enforcement officials to answer her questions. She described herself as an overachiever. “I’m being very thorough,” she told the NewsPress. “Not many people would do what I’m doing. Why is it Please see BRAND on A3
COURTESY REBECCA BRAND
Rockslides lead to the closure Thursday of State Route 154 between State Routes 246 and 192.
Rebecca Brand sent the NewsPress this photo of a bruise she said was caused by a transient woman hitting her leg with Ms. Brand’s iPhone.
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YESTERDAY.........................1.67” 0.00” SEASON TOTAL ...................11.28” 0.00” 696.67 CACHUMA LAKE LEVEL ....000.00
F R I DAY, JA N UA RY 6 , 2 023
Sentencing for serial predator delayed by storm
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RAIN TOTALS
Santa Barbara County Building
Sudoku................. B3 Weather................ A4
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 4-16-18-41-45 Mega: 24
Thursday’s DAILY 4: 9-7-6-3
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 25-29-33-41-44 Mega: 18
Thursday’s FANTASY 5: 13-14-23-25-37
Thursday’s DAILY DERBY: 03-06-09 Time: 1:45.83
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 12-32-56-67-68 Meganumber: 26
Thursday’s DAILY 3: 2-8-4 / Midday 8-9-5