Three high-risk sex offenders in Santa Barbara County are back behind bars after failing compliance checks Thursday, officials say.
The Santa Barbara County Probation Department worked with police in Santa Maria and Lompoc, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, FBI and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s K-9 unit to check in on high-risk sex offenders to see if they were in compliance.
The search operation, which covered 12 locations in the Santa Maria, Orcutt, Lompoc, Buellton and Solvang areas, focused on sex offender registrants who were on probation for distributing child pornography or child sex crimes.
Officials say three arrests were made for violating post release community supervision. A new felony offense was also added to at least one person for possessing child pornography.
K9’s specially trained to search for cell phones and other contraband were used in the operation.
