Three Arizona men were arrested Thursday in Goleta in connection with a kidnapping and robbery that occurred a few hours earlier at Carpentry, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office reported.
Deputies were sent around 5:40 a.m. to the Chevron gas station on Via Real and Santa Monica Highway to Carpinteria, after a woman reported she had been abducted and robbed by three men, Raquel Zick said, sheriff’s public information officer.
“Deputies learned that an adult victim woman had been abducted and forcibly robbed by three suspects who fled in a vehicle before the deputies arrived,” Zick said, adding that one of the suspects was believed he was armed.
The victim did not need medical attention and remained at the scene, Zick said.
About three hours later, an alert citizen who had learned of the robbery by local media informed the sheriff’s offices that the suspicious vehicle, a gold-colored sedan with a dropped tire, was in a tire shop on the block. 200 South Fairview Avenue, Zick. dit.
Deputies converged on the area and took the three suspects to jail without incident, Zick said, adding that one of the men had a concealed firearm.
South Fairview Avenue was closed for a short time while deputies arrested the trio.
Zick said all the suspects are from Tucson and were identified as Barry Mullins, 22, Seanray Allen, 22, and James Johnson, 18.
All three were jailed in Santa Barbara County Jail on suspicion of theft, conspiracy and kidnapping, Zick said.
Mullins was also charged with felony criminal mischief, including carrying a loaded firearm in a public place and carrying a concealed weapon.
The bond for each was set at $ 1 million.
“The sheriff’s office wants to thank all members of the community who were alert to these suspects,” Zick said. “We would also like to highlight the solid judgment of the witness who stayed at a safe distance, immediately called 9-1-1 and provided useful information to respond to the units.”
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