An Orcutt woman is in police custody following a citizen-initiated foot chase in the area of Shirley Lane and Dartmouth Lane in Orcutt.
The incident started Friday at 12:15 a.m. when the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office got a 911 call from a man who said he found a woman inside his unlocked parked car outside of his home.
According to the sheriff’s office, when he confronted her, she ran off on foot.
The man reportedly called 911 dispatchers while he was chasing after the woman a couple of blocks passed his house. According to the sheriff’s office, the woman threatened to stab the man, then continued to run into the backyard of a home in the 3900 block of Loch Lomond Drive.
The sheriff’s office identified the woman as 58-year-old Joann Mari Alley. She was eventually taken into custody in the backyard of the home.
Through the course of the investigation, the sheriff’s office said they discovered that Alley was trying to steal the man’s car. The sheriff’s office said additional evidence also connected Alley to the theft of a wallet from another person in the area.
Alley is now in Santa Barbara County Jail. Her bail is $75,000.
