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NEWS-PRESS SPECIAL REPORT
Investigation results in fentanyl dealer’s conviction Affidavit demonstrates how case was built against Victor Anthony Olivera Hernandez, who will be sentenced Monday By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
When convicted fentanyl dealer Victor Anthony Olivera Hernandez was arrested by detectives last August, he insisted he was nothing more than a simple pot peddler, despite the fact that officers had seized a massive amount of various illegal drugs from his house. Mr. Hernandez said all of the drugs
in the house and backyard were his in that his girlfriend, Lania Day, had nothing to do with them, according to DEA Special Agent Roger Chaney Jr. “(But) Hernandez denied selling the drugs, claimed he only sells marijuana, and said he was holding the other drugs for an unnamed individual,” Agent Chaney wrote in his affidavit supporting the original federal criminal complaint, arrest warrant and search warrants issued
against Mr. Hernandez. And yes, detectives searching his house in the 100 block of Curryer Street in Santa Maria on Aug. 4 did seize marijuana, a lot of it, specifically 22.5 pounds of cannabis flower. But they also seized approximately 17,000 pills laced with fentanyl, 27 grams of MDMA or Ecstasy, 218 Please see FENTANYL on A7
Detectives seized 17,000 pills laced with fentanyl, 27 grams of MDMA or Ecstasy, 218 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, three grams of cocaine and hundreds of acid tabs from the Santa Maria home of convicted fentanyl dealer Victor Anthony Olivera Hernandez. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Special Investigations Bureau arrested him on Aug. 4, and he later pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. SANTA BARBARA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
A dream coming true Dwight Murphy Field receives $1.5 million for improvements, including new inclusive Gwendolyn’s Playground
L.A. County’s two juvenile halls must comply or face sanctions: Rob Bonta By RIA ROEBUCK JOSEPH THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR
(The Center Square) - Los Angeles County two juvenile halls came under fire today by the Department of Justice which filed a motion to enforce provisions of a 2021 judgment. The DOJ found that LA County is out of compliance with the terms requiring the county to provide a dozen objectives for conditions of confinement at its two juvenile halls. The 2021 judgment set out a detailed plan with a timeframe to comply with each of the following areas: • Homelike Environment and Operations; • Technology and Data Management; • Use of Force and Youth Safety; • Trauma-Informed and Positive Behavior Approaches Room Confinement; • Basic Living Needs and Juvenile Hall Conditions; • Programming, Recreation, Exercise, Religious Services, Visitation, and Telephone Calls; • Mental Health, Medical Care, and Treatment Plans; • Education, Transition, and After-Care; Staffing, Hiring, and Training; • Oversight and Grievance Systems; • Compensatory Services for Youth. The motion claims that for more than two years the county failed to comply with seven critical provisions of the judgment. Of all the areas of non-compliance, failure to timely and accurately document and review all use-of-force incidents; failure to transport youth to school; failure to transport youth to critical medical appointments; failure to deliver compensatory education services to youth who are entitled to those services; failure to Install video cameras throughout Barry J. Nidorf juvenile hall; failure to implement a positive behavior management plan and lack of daily outdoor recreation, make up the list. “The County has failed to “simply meet basic standards of care” and that “the young people incarcerated in the Juvenile Halls are paying the price for the neglect that gives way to the deteriorating conditions,” the motion laments. “The conditions within the juvenile detention centers in Los Angeles County are appalling. Every child in our state is entitled to a safe, homelike environment,” said Attorney General Bonta. The DOJ states that the county “has actually regressed away from complying with the most Please see JUVENILE on A4
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Above, as Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse listens, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal discusses the $1.5 million in federal funds to the Dwight Murphy Field and the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation. The improvements include the addition of the all-inclusive Gwendolyn’s Playground. At right, Grace Fisher, the founder of the Inclusive Arts Clubhouse at La Cumbre Plaza, attends Friday’s news conference, sharing her support for the park’s plans.
By ANNIKA BAHNSEN NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal delivered $1.5 million in federal funds Friday to the Dwight Murphy Field and the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation. The goal of this funding is to turn the existing park into a space where all families, including those with disabilities, can use the park to its full capacity. The improvements include the all-inclusive Gwendolyn’s Playground.
“This vision will take an already great park and make it extraordinary by transforming this park into a park that’s cutting-edge in terms of a recreation that is inclusive and accessible to those of all ages,” Rep. Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, said during a news conference. “This will enrich our community in so many ways and provide so many opportunities.” The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation, founded by Victoria and Bill Strong, Please see FIELD on A6
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