Lompoc man arrested after Santa Barbara County deputy finds trunk filled with stolen avocados

A Lompoc man faces charges of grand theft after authorities say he tried to steal a trunk full of avocados.

Tim Rounds, 44, was spotted wearing a headlamp and holding a bucket of avocados by a Santa Barbara County sheriff's deputy who was patrolling the Goleta. Special Duty Hartley Freedman saw a vehicle stopped on the shoulder of the roadway in the 6900 block of Cathedral Oaks Road , where he made contact with Rounds.

The deputy, upon seeing Rounds wearing the headlamp and holding the avocados, searched the vehicle and found a bag of methamphetamine, a pipe, and a trunk full of avocados, according to sheriff's officials. The owner of the ranch confirmed that Rounds did not have permission to harvest their avocados.

The estimated value of the stolen avocados was not known.

Rounds was arrested on suspicion of grand theft of fruit, a felony, and misdemeanor counts of possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia. He was booked at the sheriff's Main Jail and has since been released.

Sheriff's officials photographed the avocados and returned them to the owner of the ranch.