Author: KEYT

Alissa Orozco

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – According to a court filing today, singer D4vd drove to Lake Cachuma in Santa Barbara County to rid evidence linking him to the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

On Monday, David Anthony Burke – known by his stage name D4vd – was charged with murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains. Prosecutors on Wednesday say Burke began a sexual relationship with Hernandez when she was 13 and he was 18.

The court filing claims that on the night of April 23, 2025, Burke sent a ride share car to pick Hernandez from her home in Lake Elsinore to bring her to his Hollywood Hills home. Two messages were exchanged between the two before Hernandez’s phone went completely silent.

That same night, around 11:30pm, prosecutors say Burke drove his Tesla north on Highway 101 to San Marcos Pass Road, SR-154, near Lake Cachuma in Santa Barbara County. Burke later returned to this same area on May 8th and May 31st. It was here that a Caltrans worker found Hernandez’s passport in January.

Prosectors claimed Burke killed the young girl to keep their relationship a secret.

The body of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez was found decomposing in the truck of a Tesla in Hollywood back in September 2025. An autopsy report found that Hernandez had been stabbed twice in the torso.

Burke reportedly ordered two chainsaws, a body bag, heavy-duty laundry bags, and a blue inflatable pool to his home under the fake name, Victoria Mendez. Blood stains in Burke’s garage matched the victim’s DNA.

More evidence included Burke’s cellphone records showing photographs, purchases, and text messages all alluding to the two’s sexual relationship.

Burke could face the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole if found guilty. Prosecutors will have the opportunity to present more evidence at preliminary evidentiary hearing on May 26.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Some last minute donations can make it a financial home run for Elings Park in Santa Barbara.

A driver to raise $200,000 by Friday is in the last innings of a deal that would then generate a million dollar gift from an anonymous donor.

It would go for improvements to the three ball fields that are in dire need of repairs.

The park is a non-profit, which makes this offer so helpful.

Right now organizers say they are close, about $60,000 away from the goal.

If the deadline is reached by May 1st, the plan would actually be $1.2 million.

The funding would go for new and level ballfields with improvements to the dugouts and lighting.

Some of the fields have very obvious wear and tear beyond the normal sports impacts.

The park is built on a former city dump. That is showing signs of irregular settling and a factor in this fundraising drive.

One field has a drop down from center field to left field. Others go from grass to dirt.

Outfielders do not have a warning track when chasing fly balls.

The fields are used often by leagues of adults either on their own or sponsored by their companies. All are trying to get donations from their friends and family, their bosses or from area businesses.

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Alissa Orozco

ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (KEYT) – A San Luis Obispo County teen has filed a lawsuit against a Arroyo Grande Planet Fitness claiming the gym location failed to prevent the secret recording of herself and nearly 50 other female members.

Just earlier this month, Arroyo Grande released an advisory to the public regarding a man secretly recording partially or completely nude women inside the Planet Fitness. The suspect was caught and arrested in December 2025, and evidence found determined the man had committed this crime numerous times over the course of the past year.

Today, a lawsuit was filed by attorneys of Hadsell Stormer Renick & Dai, LLP and Binder Law Group, PLC on behalf of an eighteen-year-old from San Luis Obispo county claiming to be a victim of the recent peeping incident. The lawsuit claims that on December 29, 2025, the teen was using a standing tanning booth at the gym when a male member pushed his cell phone through a crack in the door and took video of her without her knowledge.

Investigators believe there to be approximately 47 victims spanning from January to December of 2025 – many of which have still not been identified. The lawsuit claims the suspect gathered over 50 videos of victims, all in different states of undress.

“Fitness facilities like Planet Fitness have a legal and ethical obligation to protect their members from illegal, non-consensual videotaping and photography of their intimate body parts. Here, Planet Fitness failed in that duty, allowing a perpetrator to secretly record nearly 50 undressed women over a period of less than 12 months — at a single location,” said Hadsell Stormer Renick & Dai LLP attorney Randy Renick.

Attorneys claim employees from the Arroyo Grande location were present during the unconcensual recordings on multiple incidents, witnessing the crime and yet failing to intervene despite the gym’s explicit policy against recording in tanning rooms.

“I feel betrayed by Planet Fitness and its indifference towards its female members. I am horrified that so many women had to be harmed before this person was stopped,” said the victim.

Any female members of Planet Fitness located at 1576 W. Branch St. in Arroyo Grande is encouraged to contact Officer Brandon Earnest at (805) 473-5110 EXT 7021 or via email at bearnest@arroyogrande.org.

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Jarrod Zinn

LOMPOC, Calif. (KEYT) – Ashlee Buzzard, the mother of Melodee Buzzard, appeared in court this morning for a hearing on her attorney’s motion to compel forensic evidence.

Public defender Erica Sutherland says she argued the District Attorney is obligated under law to disclose more forensic evidence such as police reports and witness statements, which she says she has yet to receive.

Sutherland says the DA seemed unfamiliar with the law she cited but that Judge Stephen Dunkle knew about it.

Still, Sutherland says Judge Dunkle wants to know which evidence items remain outstanding, and continued the case to May 7th for his ruling.

Buzzard agreed to waive time through July for scheduling of the preliminary trial hearing.

A hearing on Sutherland’s motion to quash and traverse a search warrant is confirmed for May 6th at 1:30pm before Judge Hippach in Santa Maria.

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Alissa Orozco

LOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. (KEYT) – A portion of the Camino Cielo Ridge Area inside Los Padres National Forest has been sectioned off for prescribed burning until Friday.

From April 29th – May 1st, burning for a combined 27 acres of land will take place in the Camino Cielo Ridge Area near Painted Cave Road and Highway 154, known as Unit 6.

The U.S. Forest Service says goal of the burn is to reduce hazardous materials to reduce the risk of wildfires. The burn will depend on weather and air quality conditions – if conditions are not favorable, the burn will be rescheduled.

The burning is a collaboration between multiple agencies including Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District, San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District, CAL FIRE, and The Nature Conservancy.

To view a statewide prescribed burn map and other features, visit the Prescribed Fire Information Reporting System (PFIRS) website: https://ssl.arb.ca.gov/pfirs/firm/firm.php

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John Palminteri

SUMMERLAND, Calif. (KEYT) – During the intense winds Monday, a sailboat broke away from its anchor spot and ended up on the beach in Summerland.

It was immediately a serious concern if it were to break up and have pieces go into the ocean. Also if it had oil and gas leaking out.

It was originally around Butterfly Beach east of Santa Barbara and came ashore near a concrete wall west of Lookout Park.

Harry Rabin is a Field Consultant with Heal the Ocean and inspected the boat, the location and the risks earlier this week. Then with a county policy in place and a posting from the Sheriff’s Department he had the authority to remove it.

Rabin says, “the owner was given ample warning and this is at least his third offense so this needs to be stopped. This environmental terrorism in its own manner for the sake of profit.”

Heal the Ocean and Marborg have worked together on boat removals in the past, mainly during winter storms.

The owner of this vessel was on site and had tools out to retrieve parts but it was too late. The timeline was set by the tides.

Marborg had to use a ramp down the beach from the boat crash and bring heavy equipment and a rolloff to the location.

“Marborg is well on top of this. Brian Borgatello and his sons who are operating the excavator. They know what they are doing and this is not easy and the tide would not go low enough to let us get to the boat without moving it,” said Rabin.

The work was done to get the largest pieces in the rolloff dumpster without anything leaking out. Had it broken up on the concrete wall, it would have been a higher risk. Rabin said, “we don’t know what septic is on there, it is an inboard engine, it is going to pollute the ocean no matter what you do.”

A cleanup crew picked up the remaining pieces by hand and raked the beach so it was safe for the public and the environment before they left.

The owner did not comment on camera but said he tried to save the vessel once he heard it was drifting but that effort failed.

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, CALIF. (KEYT) – A Santa Barbara woman who rebuilt her life after homelessness is now just days away from losing the home she worked years to secure — after an injury set off a financial spiral she couldn’t recover from in time.

Shawn Hernandez starts each morning walking her small dog, Dominique, through her neighborhood — a routine she says represents stability she once thought she might never have again.

“I worked really hard to get here,” Hernandez said. “I was on the streets before this.”

Her apartment now holds the markers of that recovery: a sofa, a television, and a workspace where she creates Betty Boop artwork. For a while, she said, life finally felt steady.

Then an unexpected injury kept her from working.

Hernandez said the loss of income quickly pushed her behind on rent. Although she returned to work, it wasn’t enough to catch up.

By the time she sought assistance, she was already in crisis.

“We kept seeing people right on the edge with nowhere to turn,” said Al Ortiz, who now leads a new non-profit focused on preventing eviction before it happens. “If we step in early, we can keep someone housed.”

Ortiz, a former outreach worker in Santa Barbara, said the goal is to intervene during what he calls a critical window — before housing is lost and recovery becomes far more difficult.

Hernandez’s situation reflects a broader gap in the system. Some residents are at risk of losing housing but don’t qualify for assistance until it’s too late to prevent eviction.

“There are people at risk who don’t qualify for help until it’s too late,” said Deputy City Administrator Anthony Valdez.

Hernandez now has until April 30th to pay her rent and keep her apartment.

For now, the door remains open — but time is running out.

Anyone wanting to help those in Hernandez’ position, can donate through the non-profit.

You can also contact Al Ortiz directly at: 805-298-4290.

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Dave Alley

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – A pair of public forums are allowing the public to hear directly from the two candidates that are vying for the supervisor seat in San Luis Obispo County District 4.

On Monday morning, the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce held the first one at the SLO Ranch marketplace.

“The SLO Chamber is so honored to offer this unique opportunity for our public to come in and have a very different experience with their candidates,” said Garret Olson, San Luis Obispo Chamber President/CEO. “This is an opportunity for opening comments and for closing comments, but in between there an opportunity to sit down and have a have a dialog back and forth to ask the questions that they want to ask with their own voice to respond to those questions.”

Taking part in the 90-minute forum was incumbent District 4 Supervisor and current board chair Jimmy Paulding, as well as challenger Adam Verdin, an Oceano businessman, attorney and community volunteer.

“Today was a great opportunity to just sit down with folks at the table, have a cup of coffee, and have a conversation about the future of our city, county community,” said Paulding. “I love the one-on-ones. One of my favorite aspects of campaigning are meet and greets, like this one where we get to sit in a nice pavilion and have a conversation about the future of our community. It’s great to connect with people and voters on a one-on-one individual basis.”

Verdin, who is seeking his first ever political office, agreed with Paulding that the small, face-to-face gathering allowed for direct personal dialog and feedback.

“It was a wonderful opportunity to meet folks in the business community, listen to their concerns, and have an opportunity to share my vision of San Luis Obispo County, particularly for the district,” said Verdin. “I think the most meaningful time for me is speaking with people one-on-one and really listening to their concerns, and understanding their perspective in the community, and what they would like to see different, and what they would like to be, and what they would like to see changed in the next four years.”

Paulding and Verdin will also take part in a second candidate forum on Wednesday at the South County Regional Center in Arroyo Grande.

The second forum will be held by the League of Women Voters of San Luis Obispo County and run from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

District 4 in San Luis Obispo County represents Nipomo, Arroyo Grande, Oceano, Huasna, Edna Valley, California Valley and other unincorporated portions of the South County.

Voting for the seat will be held during the Primary Election on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.

A candidate will need to capture a majority of votes in June to win the election. If not, a runoff will take place during the General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026.

Whoever wins the race will be sworn in early January 2027.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) –

Tennis: Channel League Individual Championships: Dos Pueblos freshman sensation Ciaran Tober-Bridges won the the title in straight sets over Santa Barbara junior Beckett McManigal 6-1, 6-0.

Santa Barbara’s Lucas Forry/Elio Taha captured the doubles title defeating a team of Nicolas Holve/Levi Reece of San Marcos.

Channel League Boys Golf Individual Championships: San Marcos standout Austin Downing won the 2-day tournament by four shots over teammate Andy Keenan. Downing finished 3-under par to win the title. Santa Barbara senior Alex Ortega finished third at 2-over par.

CIF-SS Beach Volleyball Quarterfinals:

Division 3: Long Beach Poly 4, Dos Pueblos 1

Division 4: Oak Park 3, Bishop Diego 2

Division 4: Campbell Hall 4, Foothill Tech 1

CIF-SS D8 Boys First Round Volleyball:

Laguna Blanca 3, Lynwood 0: Soren Alldredge had 15 kills for the Owls who host West Valley on Thursday in second round

Channel League Softball: Dos Pueblos 4, Oxnard 1: Freshman Emily Morici struck out 14 batters as the Chargers move to 9-1 in league and 17-5 overall.

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Mike Klan

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – A quartet of pitchers combined on Cal Poly’s second shutout of the season and Nate Castellon smashed a solo home run as part of his ninth three-hit game as the Mustangs blanked Santa Clara 7-0 on Tuesday afternoon inside Baggett Stadium.

Sean McGrath pitched five scoreless innings and matched his season high with six strikeouts while Chris Downs, Arlo Pendleton and Luke Kalfsbeek finished the shutout, combining for six more strikeouts, for Cal Poly, which won its fourth straight game and improved its overall mark to 25-18.

Playing its final midweek home game of 2026, Cal Poly amassed 12 hits, reaching double figures for the 10th time in its last 11 contests, and broke open a 1-0 game with five runs on four doubles and a pair of run-scoring singles in the fifth inning.

Held to four singles and striking out a dozen times, Santa Clara fell to 16-27. The Broncos had beaten the Mustangs 10 times in the last 13 meetings between the two teams.

McGrath, who earlier this month earned victories against San Jose State and Pepperdine, both at home, lowered his ERA from 7.11 to 5.93, evened his win-loss record at 3-3 and struck out six for the third time this month. The freshman right-hander is 3-1 with a 1.96 ERA in the month of April.

Downs struck out four Broncos over two innings, Pendleton added a pair of strikeouts in his inning of work on the mound and Kalfsbeek allowed a leadoff walk but nothing else in the ninth inning for Cal Poly, which blanked Washington State 9-0 in its home opener Feb. 20.

Offensively, five Mustangs produced two or more hits, led by Castellon. The sophomore shortstop now has 17 multiple-hit games this season as he added two singles and his fourth home run of the season to his ledger, lifting his average for the year to .351.

Right fielder Dylan Kordic contributed a pair of RBI singles while third baseman Alejandro Garza and catcher Ryan Tayman both had two hits and one RBI. Left fielder Dante Vachini singled and doubled, scoring once.

Garza’s single and double for his 21st multiple-hit game of the year raised his career hit total to 234, leaving him 18 shy of the school’s career hits record. He has lifted his average 93 points to .360 since mid-March.

Hitting .167 in late March, Kordic has gone 20-for-51 (.392) in his last 17 games with five home runs and 20 RBIs, and currently sports a .290 mark at the plate.

A scoreless tie was broken up in the fourth inning as Tayman doubled and Kordic drove in the run with an RBI single to right-center field.

Cal Poly put up a five-spot on the scoreboard in the fifth. Vachini doubled to start the rally, coming home on Castellon’s RBI single. Garza, Jake Downing and Tayman all doubled to drive in runs and Kordic capped the uprising with a run-scoring single to right field.

Final tally of the game was provided by Castellon with his two-out solo home run to left field, his fourth of the year and seventh of his Mustang career.

Santa Clara used five pitchers in the game. Andrew Habermann (0-2), the first reliever out of the bullpen for the Broncos, suffered the loss, allowing five runs and eight hits over 2 1/3 innings.

Santa Clara’s four hits were singles by four different players.

Cal Poly plays its next eight games on the road, beginning with a Big West series at UC Irvine this weekend. The Mustangs also play the rematch at Santa Clara next Tuesday, a Big West series at Cal State Fullerton on May 8-10 and a midweek game at Fresno State on May 12 before closing out the regular season with three conference games against Long Beach State on May 14-16.

The Mustangs are first in the Big West standings with a 15-6 mark, one game ahead of UC San Diego (14-7) and two in front of UC Santa Barbara and Cal State Fullerton, both 13-8. This weekend, UC San Diego plays at Long Beach State, Cal State Fullerton hosts UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara visits Cal State Bakersfield.

(Article provided by Cal Poly Athletics)

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