On Feb. 2 at approximately 10 a.m., paramedics from the Santa Monica Fire Department responded to the 1500 block of 9th Street to check on a man who appeared to be passed out inside a car.
Concerned that the man was possibly suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning, the paramedics called for police to assist. Paramedics were able to wake up the man, so they asked him to step out of his car and sit down on the sidewalk to assess him.
When officers arrived, they found a glass pipe used for smoking methamphetamine on the driver's seat of the car. The man, identified as Evgeniy Viktorovich Gubanov, of Modesto, later admitted to having smoked methamphetamine earlier.
Officers then noticed the man's car had two different license plates on it. One of the plates appeared to have been taken from a car registered in Mono County, but that part of the investigation is still ongoing.
Gubanov was arrested on drug possession and vehicle code violation charges. Bail was set at $20,000.
Note: Crime Watch is culled from reports provided by the Santa Monica Police Department. These are arrests only. All parties are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
