NORTHWEST : HUNTINGTON BEACH : Police Will Present Talk on Santeria Cult

Santeria, a religion that engages in animal sacrifice, will be the subject of a talk Wednesday sponsored by Huntington Beach Neighborhood Watch as part of a continuing education program on youth subcultures.

The talk, which is free and open to the public, will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Huntington Beach Civic Center Council Chambers, 2000 Main St.

The speaker will be Los Angeles Police Detective Patrick Metoyer, who is in the department’s criminal conspiracy section and is an expert on the Santeria cult.

Santeria is an Afro-Cuban religion. Followers consult a santero , who is “a spell caster and at times a spell remover,” Metoyer said. “He’s the person who controls the mind of the believer, the person who uses barnyard animals to aid him in his ceremonies.”

Suzie Wajda, a crime prevention specialist with the Huntington Beach Police Department, said that “as far as it is known, we don’t have any evidence of Santeria in Huntington Beach.” She said that Metoyer’s talk is considered useful “because in case any evidence of this surfaces, we are hoping residents will notify us.”