Fourth of July 'Peaceful', Police Chief Says

Illegal fireworks made a bang Wednesday night—especially for those caught by police with pyrotechnics.

The tickets for possessing illegal fireworks in the county carry a $1,000 fine. Watsonville police wrote 21 such citations in the city and sheriff's issued 15 in the unincorporated areas of Santa Cruz County as they confiscated more than 300 pounds of explosives, authorities reported.

But beyond the fireworks seizures, the mid-week holiday was calm.

“For the most part everything was peaceful last night," Watsonville Police Chief Manny Solano said.

There were no serious incidents in Watsonville.

Sheriff's deputy April Skalland said the Fourth of July festivities were typical for a weekday. It was a relatively calm night, she said.

Deputies made 19 arrests for crimes such as being drunk in public and for outstanding warrants. Six people got tickets for alcohol-related violations and four other citations were issued for crimes such as urinating in public, according to Skalland.

“I think we stepped up our enforcement," Skalland said.