San Benito County Sheriff

08/28/2026

08/25/2026

IMPORTANT UPDATE REGARDING INCARCERATED PERSONS TELEPHONES, VIDEO VISITATIONS AND TABLET USAGE!!!

Please be advised that the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office during the week of August 30th, 2026, all Jail telephone service, video visitation, and tablets at the San Benito County Jail will be changing from Viapath/GTL to NCIC Inmate Communications.

Friends and family members should stop funding prepaid accounts with Viapath now and will be able to set up an account with NCIC. To set up and fund a prepaid account, friends and family can call 1-800-943-2189 or visit www.ncic.com.

Listed in the graphic above are all calling rates that will be placed with NCIC.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call the San Benito County Jail at 831-636-4060.

08/19/2026

The San Benito County Sheriff’s Office is once again experiencing SCAM calls claiming that receipients have a warrant and have missed Federal Court, or have jury duty. To be clear, we will NEVER contact you claiming you have a warrant and need to pay to resolve it.

EN ESPAÑOL:

“La Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de San Benito está recibiendo nuevamente llamadas de ESTAFA en las que se afirma que los destinatarios tienen una orden de arresto y que han faltado a una audiencia en el Tribunal Federal, o que tienen que cumplir con su deber como jurado.

Para dejarlo claro: NUNCA nos comunicaremos con usted para decirle que tiene una orden de arresto y que debe pagar dinero para resolverla.”

08/15/2026

Correctional Officer recruits Bartra, Molina, and Rodriguez have officially hit a milestone as they recently completed their midterm inspection with Corrections class ACA 36 at the Santa Clara County Justice Training Center in Morgan Hill.

During inspections, Recruit Trainee’s are quizzed on penal codes, jail policy, and their serialized gear. Recruit Trainee’s uniforms are also meticulously scrutinized.

Please Join us in wishing them luck on the second half of their journey with a strong finish!!!

08/08/2026

This past Thursday, The San Benito County Sheriff’s Office served a search warrant in the 7000 block of Lovers Lane with the assistance of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife as part of an investigation into an illegal ma*****na cultivation operation of approximately 2,000 plants.

During the search warrant, two subjects, who had been camping along the brush line of the cultivation operation, fled on foot as law enforcement arrived. With the assistance of Sergeant Simpson and his drone, Deputy Miguel was able to quickly apprehend the first subject. The second subject was located shortly after. During the search, investigators discovered the subjects operating the cultivation efforts had been diverting water from the Pacheco creek from a pump system powered by a generator, a common theme with illegal cannabis operations. A large sum of unclaimed U.S currency and a .22 rifle were also found during the search. Both subjects detained were arrested for several felonies related to the cultivation efforts.

While opinions regarding ma*****na legalization vary throughout our community, one thing remains clear, legalization of cannabis does not make mass cultivation legal.

California’s cannabis laws establish specific requirements and regulations for cultivation. When individuals or operations choose to disregard those laws, they often create serious impacts to the environment, water resources, surrounding residents, neighboring properties, and most importantly, public safety.

The San Benito County Sheriff’s Office will continue to investigate illegal cultivation operations and work closely with our state and local partners to hold those responsible accountable.

07/31/2026

Join the San Benito County Sheriff's Office for National Night Out next Tuesday, August 4th at Dunne Park!!! 🚓💙 🚨🚒🚑

National Night Out is a celebration of the partnership between law enforcement and the community we proudly serve. Come join us in this wonderful opportunity to meet your local Deputies, ask questions, learn about public safety, and strengthen the relationships that help keep San Benito County a unique, safe place to live, work, and raise a family.

Bring the whole family and enjoy an evening of community, conversation, and fun. Whether you're interested in crime prevention, emergency preparedness, or simply getting to know the men and women that serve our community, we'd love to see you there!!!

📍 Location: Dunne Memorial Park (600 West Street)
📅 Date: Tuesday, August 4th, 2026
🕒 Time: 5pm-730pm

Together, we can continue building a safer, stronger San Benito County, one neighborhood at a time. We look forward to seeing you there!

07/25/2026

Career day at the YMCA!!!!

This afternoon we had the pleasure of joining several other professionals representing their respective career fields for members of the YMCA of San Benito. We enjoyed meeting so many bright, curious young people and sharing what it’s like to serve our community in law enforcement.

From answering questions about our daily responsibilities to discussing the many career paths within policing, it was a rewarding opportunity to connect with the next generation and inform them of our Explorer program for kids 14 and up.

We hope we inspired students to dream big, work hard, and consider careers dedicated to serving others.

A big thank you to the YMCA for inviting us to be part of this fantastic event and for investing in our community’s youth. We appreciate everyone who participated in engaging with us.

Note: because we didn’t get a chance to confirm that all children present had social media waivers, we elected to blur out faces in the photos for privacy of those wishing to not be on socia media.

06/30/2026

The San Benito County Sheriff’s Office is once again experiencing SCAM calls claiming that receipiants have a warrant and have missed Federal Court. To be clear, we will NEVER contact you claiming you have a warrant and need to pay to resolve it.

EN ESPAÑOL:

La Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de San Benito está lidiando una vez más con llamadas de ESTAFA que afirman que los receptores tienen una orden judicial y se han perdido el Tribunal Federal. Para ser claros, nunca nos pondremos en contacto con usted alegando que las personas tienen una orden y necesitan pagar para resolverla.

06/28/2026

On 06/26/2026, at about 830AM, Deputies responded to the San Benito riverbed in the area of Riverview Way after a suspicous vehicle was reported to be driving slowly through the neighborhood.

Deputies responded to the area to perform an area check and eventually located a vehicle matching the description, parked in a private property section of the San Benito Riverbed. As the subjects were contacted, they were uncooperative and ultimately detained.

During the contact, the driver was found to have a bag of suspected methamphetamine on him. During Deputies search of the vehicle, Deputies discovered a baggy of suspected psilocybin mushrooms, more suspected methamphetamine, and dozens of used needles. To top it all off, an unserialized, privately made short barrel rifle, commonly known as a “ghost gun”, was found inside the vehicle.

The driver was arrested for several felonies related to the narcotics and firearm he possessed. The passenger of the vehicle was arrested for trespassing on private property and has since been released.

The San Benito County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind the public that the San Benito River cleanup project has been ongoing since April 2025. Phase 4 of the cleanup effort began in April 2026 and is currently ongoing.

As part of this ongoing project, Sheriff’s Office personnel continue to patrol the riverbed. Individuals found within the riverbed are considered to be trespassing and will be contacted by law enforcement. The Sheriff’s Office appreciates the public’s cooperation as these cleanup and enforcement efforts continue to improve public safety and protect the environment.

06/25/2026

After 10 years of dedicated service as the San Benito County Sheriff's Office Concealed Carry Weapon (CCW) Coordinator, we would like to recognize and thank Bill Barrett for his commitment to our community and our agency.

Bill began his law enforcement career with the Seaside Police Department in 1988, where he served as a Police Officer and later held specialized assignment titles of Field Training Officer, and Detective.

In 1998, Bill lateraled to the Watsonville Police Department, where he continued serving as a Police Officer, while also taking on specialized assignments in Motors, Investigations, and again as a Field Training Officer.

Following a distinguished career spanning decades, Bill retired from the Watsonville Police Department in 2016 with the rank of Master Officer. Shortly after his “retirement”, Bill continued his service to the public by joining the San Benito County Sheriff's Office as our CCW Coordinator, where he has spent the last 10 years assisting thousands of applicants through the permitting process with professionalism, patience, and dedication.

Bill's extensive law enforcement experience, attention to detail, and commitment to serving others have made a lasting impact on both our agency and the citizens of San Benito County.

Please join us in thanking Bill Barrett for his years of service and wishing him all the best in his next chapter!!!