Santa Barbara County District Attorney

Santa Barbara County District Attorney John T. Savrnoch announced today that the legal analysis of the October 20, 2025 deputy-involved shooting that resulted in the death of Abdourahman Nyan has been concluded. The detailed analysis is posted on the Office of the Santa Barbara District Attorney website athttps://da.countyofsb.org/documents/Nyan_Report_Final.pdf

LOMPOC, Calif., — Santa Barbara County District Attorney John T. Savrnoch announced that Joseph Ashley Garcia was convicted by jury of first-degree murder and the special circumstance of torture was found true on April 13, 2026. On April 21, 2026, the jury found true that the defendant was sane at the time of the offense.

On June 10, 2026, the defendant was sentenced in Santa Maria Superior Court Department 7 by Judge Stephen Dunkle to life without the possibility of parole.

June is Elder Abuse Awareness Month

Today at the Board of Supervisors meeting, Supervisor Lee and Supervisor Nelson presented a resolution proclaiming June 2026 as Elder Abuse Awareness Month in Santa Barbara County.

The resolution was received by District Attorney John T. Savrnoch and Chief Investigator Kristina Perkins, alongside DSS Director Dan Nielson, Sheriff Bill Brown, and our partners from Department of Social Services, Public Guardian’s Office and Family Service Agency.

Elder abuse is a serious and often hidden crime that can take many forms, including physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, financial exploitation, and scams targeting older adults. These crimes can have devastating impacts on victims, affecting their health, safety, financial security, and quality of life.

Protecting older adults requires a community-wide commitment to recognizing the signs of abuse, neglect, and exploitation and taking action when concerns arise. Raising awareness is a critical step toward preventing victimization and ensuring older adults are treated with the dignity, respect, and care they deserve.

If you suspect elder abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation, don’t stay silent. Reporting concerns can help protect someone from further harm and connect them with the resources they need.

Report suspected fraud and financial exploitation at [email protected]

Together, we can help keep older adults safe and strengthen our commitment to protecting some of the most vulnerable members of our community.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., — Santa Barbara County District Attorney John T. Savrnoch announced today that a felony complaint has been filed against Rosanne Marquis, 71, a registered nurse, charging her with 77 felonies in connection with an unlicensed in-home health care business she operated since at least 2019. It is alleged that in the course of running that business, Ms. Marquis stole from elderly dependent adults, including a veteran, and failed to both supply accurate tax returns for her business, and to make required deductions and payments to the Employment Development Department on behalf of her employees for several years.

The case is being prosecuted by the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office. A multi-agency team made up of the District Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs Office of Inspector General, and the California Employment Development Department, investigated the case.

Ms. Marquis is scheduled to be arraigned on June 9, 2026, in Department 8 of the Santa Barbara Superior Court. She is currently out of custody on bail.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., — Santa Barbara County District Attorney John T. Savrnoch announced today that charges have been filed against Jorge Angel Hurtado, an 18-year-old resident of Ventura, and two juveniles, releated to an alleged gang homicide. The charges are associated with an incident that occurred near Bohnett Park on February 20, 2026, whereby Mr. Hurtado with others are alleged to have shot and killed Luis Terrazas in a gang related murder. The complaint includes one count of Murder and one count of Attempted Murder. In addition, Mr. Hurtado is charged with special allegations for committing the crimes for the benefit of or in association with the Eastside Criminal Street Gang, and discharging a 9mm semi-automatic firearm causing great bodily injury.

Mr. Hurtado is set to appear in Department 8 of the Santa Barbara Superior Court for Arraignment on the Complaint on June 11, 2026, at 8:30am. Mr. Hurtado’s bail is currently set at $3,000,000.

Re: People v. The Kroger Co.
Santa Barbara Superior Court Case No. 24CV03007

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., — Santa Barbara County District Attorney John Savrnoch announced today that The Kroger Company will pay $1.25 million to resolve a lawsuit filed in the Santa Barbara County Superior Court alleging violations of California’s False Advertising and Unfair Competition laws. The violations stem from inaccurate calorie advertisements Kroger included on the physical packaging and online displays for five Kroger-branded Carbmaster Bread varieties—White, Wheat, and Multiseed Bread, and Hamburger and Hotdog Buns. These products were sold online and at hundreds of Kroger-owned Ralphs, Food4Less, and Foods Co. stores in California.

Investigation by the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office revealed that when Kroger began selling Carbmaster bread products in 2021, it miscalculated their calorie content and displayed an inaccurate calorie value on both the FDA Nutrition Panel and front packaging. Consumers complained, and Kroger corrected the value on the FDA Nutrition Panel, but continued advertising the substantially lower, incorrect calorie value on the consumer-facing portions of the packaging for at least six months. Additionally, for at least one of the bread varieties, Kroger continued advertising the false calorie value online for nearly two years, even after the company was aware of the District Attorney’s investigation.

The calorie discrepancies were not trivial. For example, Kroger advertised that its Carbmaster Hamburger Buns contained 50 calories when they actually contained 100, and it advertised that its white and wheat bread varieties had 30 calories when the correct value was 50.

Kroger’s and its counsel’s handling of the matter contributed to delays and complications in the investigation, litigation, and resolution of the case. During litigation, the company was sanctioned in both federal and state court. The federal court imposed a $9,800 sanction and stated that Kroger relied on arguments that were “clearly foreclosed by Ninth Circuit precedent.” In Santa Barbara County Superior Court, Judge Thomas Anderle sanctioned the company $12,750 for failing to follow multiple court orders regarding discovery. This was not the first case where Kroger was sanctioned for failing to comply with court orders. (See Hawkins v. The Kroger Co. (S.D. Cal. Oct. 20, 2020).)

Kroger was represented by Jacob Harper of Davis Wright Tremaine, who regularly represents Kroger in food product mislabeling cases.

The People of the State of California were represented by the District Attorney’s Offices of Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Riverside Counties. Senior Deputy District Attorney Morgan Lucas of the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office was the lead prosecutor, and the case was investigated by Santa Barbara County District Attorney Investigator Robert Parmelee.

District Attorney Savrnoch thanked Morgan Lucas and Robert Parmelee, as well as the Ventura and Riverside County District Attorney’s Offices for their extensive work on the case. He commented: “Food labeling laws protect consumers and help them make healthy food choices. Kroger marketed Carbmaster Bread Products to consumers on specialty diets while significantly misrepresenting the nutritional information of those products. As one of the largest food manufacturers and retailers in the United States, Kroger had a responsibility to ensure its representations about nutritional information were accurate, and it failed. California consumers deserve better.”

🎨 Arte del Pueblo 2026 | Art for Healing

This year at Arte del Pueblo, Susan Lord, a Victim-Witness Advocate with the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office, is exhibiting a ceramic and kyanite statement piece titled “Let Me Call You Sweetheart.”

The piece is a graphic illustration and metaphor for violence against women, inspired by the realities Susan has witnessed throughout her 30-year career supporting survivors and their families.

“It is not possible to work with survivors and their next of kin without their pain settling deeply in us. As we advise anyone affected by interpersonal violence to seek trauma-informed care, those of us who hold the container for those affected must seek our own outlets for healing and self-care.”

Through her artwork, Susan honors those who have been killed or injured by domestic violence and other forms of abuse, while giving form to the profound impact this work has on victim advocates and those who serve survivors every day.

The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office Victim-Witness Assistance Program is proud to work alongside Domestic Violence Solutions to support survivors, provide advocacy, and connect individuals and families with resources that promote safety, healing, and hope. Together, we are committed to raising awareness, supporting recovery, and helping build a community free from violence.

“I choose to honor the dead and injured by Domestic Violence and other victims of abuse through art, and by so doing, give form to the impact of this work.” — Susan Lord

💜 Join us in recognizing the power of art to foster healing, spark conversation, and honor the resilience of survivors.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., — Santa Barbara County District Attorney John T. Savrnoch announced today that the Consumer and Environmental Protection Unit of the District Attorney’s Office, working with the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, reached a settlement with multiple defendants related to violations of California’s commercial fishing laws and false advertising laws.

The investigation by CDFW revealed that, in 2020 and 2021, three of the Defendants, Conner Mitchell, Taylor Grant, and Cody Martin, engaged in illegal commercial fishing, including fishing in Marine Protected Areas off the coast of Santa Barbara Island. Mitchell and Grant later sold the fish at Dudley Market, a high-end restaurant Mitchell owned in Venice, California. The seafood was falsely advertised as traceable, sustainable, and lawfully sourced.

Mitchell and Grant managed Dudley Market during 2020 through the California business entities Dudley Street Oyster Bar LLC and Shark Bite Fish Co., LLC. Grant later ended her association with the business, while Mitchell continued overseeing daily operations and seafood procurement. Mitchell and Grant also operated the commercial fishing vessel (F/V) Jamaica Day, which Mitchell used to catch fish for the restaurant. Cody Martin, 30, of El Segundo, operated the F/V Predator and supplied fish to Dudley Market.

Wildlife Officers served search warrants on cellular devices belonging to Mitchell and Martin, as well as the chart plotter aboard the F/V Predator. Evidence obtained during the investigation revealed repeated violations of laws governing California’s commercial fishing and seafood industry.

Under California law, it is unlawful to sell sport-caught fish commercially. In addition, fish taken by a commercial vessel must be lawfully “landed” and documented on an electronic fish ticket before being removed from the vessel. Landing information is critical for CDFW and NOAA Fisheries to effectively manage California fisheries and ensure long-term sustainability.

The investigation documented numerous violations, including:

• Purchasing, possessing, and selling unlawfully sport-caught fish, including rockfish, bluefin tuna, and yellowtail
• Engaging in commercial fishing activity without required commercial fishing and fish business licenses
• Failing to lawfully “land” federally managed species, including rockfish and bluefin tuna
• Harvesting rockfish within restricted conservation areas and State Marine Protected Areas
• Advertising unlawfully sourced fish as sustainable, traceable, and lawfully procured
The case was brought and resolved as a civil law enforcement action under California’s Unfair Competition Law, Business and Professions Code section 17200 et seq., by the Los Angeles City Attorney, Santa Barbara County District Attorney, and Los Angeles County District Attorney.

As part of the settlement:
• Conner Mitchell, Dudley Street Oyster Bar LLC, and Shark Bite Fish Co., LLC were ordered to pay:
o $58,226 in civil penalties
o $45,000 in stayed civil penalties, payable if the injunction is violated
o $15,000 to CDFW’s Fish and Game Preservation Fund
o $1,773 in court costs and fees
• Taylor Grant was ordered to pay:
o $40,000 in civil penalties
o $10,000 to CDFW’s Fish and Game Preservation Fund
o Prohibited from commercial fishing in California
• Gilmer Grant, owner of the F/V Jamaica Day in 2020, was ordered to pay:
o $10,000 in civil penalties
o $5,000 to CDFW’s Fish and Game Preservation Fund
o Prohibited from owning or operating a commercial fishing vessel in California
• Cody Martin was ordered to pay:
o $8,000 in civil penalties
o $100,000 in stayed civil penalties, payable upon violation of the injunction
o $2,000 to CDFW’s Fish and Game Preservation Fund
o Prohibited from commercial fishing in California

The settlement also requires compliance oversight measures,
public disclosure notices, and additional financial penalties should future violations occur.

District Attorney Savrnoch thanked Senior Deputy District Attorney Morgan Lucas, who handled the case on behalf of the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s Office, as well as those who worked on the case at CDFW, the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. District Attorney Savrnoch also said: “Violating fishing regulations that are intended to preserve Marine Protected Areas threatens the environment and the fishing industry that depends on sustainable fish stocks in the future. I am proud that my office was able to work with CDFW to protect these valuable resources.”

What a great weekend at the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo Parade! District Attorney John T. Savrnoch enjoyed joining community members, local organizations, and families for a day filled with tradition, pride, and hometown spirit. Thank you to everyone who helped make this event memorable.