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Surprise visit with Christmas spirit
NEWS-PRESS EXCLUSIVE
No-bail arrest warrant issued for Goleta man charged with molestation Sheriff’s detectives looking for Samuel Camargo-Reyes
Pickleball Angels bring unexpected gifts, including payment for 13 months of rent, to Goleta family
By NEIL HARTSTEIN
By DAVE MASON
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
“This is the best day of my life!” That’s what a 3-year-old boy said during an unexpected visit from the Pickleball Angels, Unity Shoppe and Transition House, who brought him and his 11year-old brother early Christmas presents. It also proved to be a great day for their mother, Eyleen Mendez. The Pickleball Angels presented her with a $12,386 check to pay the family’s rent for the next 13 months at a Goleta apartment complex that provides affordable housing for low-income families. The check and the visit on Wednesday evening were a total surprise for Ms. Mendez, who cleans rooms at a hotel and residents’ homes. The Pickleball Angels — residents Elon Zilberman, David Peterson, John Sanford and David Wilcox, who all like to play pickleball in the Santa Barbara area — launched a GoFundMe page and raised more than $12,700 to help one family in need this Christmas. Minus GoFundMe’s processing fees, that left $12,386, which proved to be more than enough to pay for Ms. Mendez’ rent through the end of 2023, Mr. Zilberman told the News-Press. He added that the Pickleball Angels had money leftover and used the rest to buy Ms. Mendez a $282 gift card for Target, which has stores in Goleta and Santa Barbara. Mr. Zilberman said they were assisted by Cynthia Hooper, director of operations at Unity Shoppe, a nonprofit that provided the men with a list of families in need. After discussing the list, the four men agreed they would help Ms. Mendez and her sons. Unity Shoppe also donated Christmas gifts for the boys, and Please see SURPRISE on A6
A no-bail arrest warrant has been issued for a missing 80-yearold Goleta man charged with molesting a young girl for four years. The warrant was issued because the man stopped meeting with his probation officer and skipped a scheduled court appearance earlier this month, prosecutors said. Sheriff’s detectives are hunting for the defendant, Samuel Camargo-Reyes, in coordination with the District Attorney’s Office, following his disappearance, said a spokesman for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, “Mr. Reyes lost contact with probation and failed to appear in court last week (12/12),” Deputy District Attorney Sarah Barkley told the News-Press. “A no-bail bench warrant was issued, and all future court dates have been vacated. “Mr. Reyes has been charged with a single count of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child (a felony) … which carries a maximum sentence of 16 years in state prison.” She declined to say whether the D.A.’s office believes Mr. CamargoReyes remains in Goleta or Santa Barbara County, or whether
FYI Santa Barbara County sheriff’s detectives are asking anyone with information about Samuel CamargoReyes’ current whereabouts to call Detective Swank at 805-681-4150. Anyone who would like to remain anonymous can submit information at sbsheriff.org/ home/anonymous-tip or call 805-681-4171.
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
The 3-year-old son of Eyleen Mendez is thrilled when visitors bring Christmas presents and other surprises for their family in Goleta.
Eyleen Mendez loves her surprise: a $12,386 gift to cover her rent for the next 13 months.
By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
After nearly a half century in law enforcement, Lompoc Police Chief Joseph Mariani is looking forward to the next chapter in his life: retirement. Chief Mariani announced earlier this month that he’s retiring at the end of this year. He has served as police chief since March 2019 and has worked in law enforcement for 49 years. Chief Mariani became the Lompoc police chief following the resignation of Chief Pat Walsh. Chief Mariani is the Lompoc Police Department’s first Hispanic and bilingual police chief.
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Police Chief Joseph Mariani
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prosecutors think he has fled the state. “I cannot comment on an ongoing criminal investigation,” Deputy District Attorney Barkley said. The Sheriff’s Office also declined to comment on where detectives believe Mr. CarmagoReyes might be. “The Sheriff’s Office is aware Reyes has failed to appear at his last court hearing,” Lt. Jarrett A. Morris told the News-Press. “The Sheriff’s Office is working with the District Attorney’s Office to locate Reyes. This is an active investigation, so at this time we will not be sharing any additional information.” Mr. Reyes’ attorney, Deputy Public Defender Jess McHarrie, declined comment for this story. On May 3, detectives began investigating a report of lewd acts with a child that allegedly occurred prior to 2019 in Mr. Carmago-Reyes’ business in an unmarked office in the 200 block of Pine Avenue in Goleta. As a result of their investigation into this report, detectives arrested Mr. Carmago-Reyes — also known as Samuel ReyesCamargo — on a warrant for lewd acts with a child under the age of Please see WARRANT on A6
Lompoc Police Chief Joseph Mariani retires at end of year
Please see CHIEF on A6
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Samuel Camargo-Reyes
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Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 1-3-17-23-42 Mega: 14
Thursday’s DAILY 4: 5-8-4-7
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 3-4-33-36-52 Mega: 17
Thursday’s FANTASY 5: 1-20-21-30-38
Thursday’s DAILY DERBY: 10-05-03 Time: 1:45.81
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 12-15-24-34-59 Meganumber: 14
Thursday’s DAILY 3: 2-5-2 / Midday 2-6-9