Goleta Shooter Pleads Not Guilty to 15 Counts

Charles Quinn ― the 42-year-old man who was arrested back on January 15 for allegedly shooting two officers and two youths with a “high-powered pellet gun,” and who was shot and hospitalized in return police fire ― pleaded not guilty to a total of 15 criminal charges in Santa Barbara Superior Court Wednesday morning.

The District Attorney added eight criminal charges to the original seven Quinn faced. The additional counts include three counts of assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of second degree robbery, two counts of resisting an executive officer, and one misdemeanor for failure to register as a sex offender in California. Quinn pleaded not guilty to all charges.

District Attorney Mary Barron will serve as the prosecutor in this case, and Quinn will be represented by attorney Jeff Chambliss from the Public Defender’s Office, who talked with reporters outside the courtroom after the arraignment hearing. Chambliss, asked about Quinn’s health since his recovery at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, replied, “He seems to be doing a lot better.”

During the hearing, Chambliss objected to The Independent’s request to take a photo of the accused man, as he didn’t want it to magnify attention the case might receive. Yet Quinn does appear to be recovering well, with a bandaged right arm as the only visible sign of a wound. Faced with a now-thickened list of felonies, he showed up to his arraignment with a clean-shaven face, responding to the judge’s questions cooperatively.

Quinn is set to return to court today, February 10, for his preliminary hearing setting.