An 82-year-old man was arrested Monday afternoon after allegedly firing a handgun at three teenage boys he believed have been trespassing on his property close to a park within the San Roque space, based on Santa Barbara Police spokesperson Sergeant Ethan Ragsdale.
Ragsdale mentioned that SBPD officers have been dispatched to Stevens Park round 3:30 p.m. on September 4 for a report of an “grownup male firing a handgun within the space.”
When police arrived, they realized that the older man, recognized as Santa Barbara resident Roy Eugene Stephenson Jr., had allegedly seen the three youngsters — ages 15, 16, and 18 — within the San Roque Creek mattress subsequent to the park. In response to Ragsdale, Stephenson “believed they have been trespassing” on his property close by.
“Stephenson had gotten right into a verbal argument with the themes,” Ragsdale mentioned. “After the preliminary argument, Stephenson retrieved a handgun and fired the weapon within the course of the three topics in an try to scare them away.”
SBPD discovered the place Stephenson lived, arrested him, and retrieved the firearm that was used within the incident. He was taken to Santa Barbara County Jail and booked on a number of felonies, together with threats and assault with a lethal weapon.
In response to Santa Barbara County Superior Court docket Data, Stephenson’s expenses additionally embrace a lot of enhancements, together with “ordinary legal” and “individuals to not be granted probation or suspended sentence.” He will probably be arraigned this week and is scheduled to seem on September 19 for a listening to relating to a gun violence emergency protecting order, which might take away all firearms from his property.
No one was injured, and no injury was reported as a result of incident.
