Santa Barbara Sheriff’s deputies on Tuesday arrested a 21-year-old Arkansas man suspected of burglarizing a number of Goleta homes in the Scripps Crescent Street area. The arrest came only hours after the Sheriff’s Department sent out a public alert warning residents of a man casing homes by posing as a door-to-door magazine salesperson. The alert included a physical description and the area where the suspect was last seen.

Mathew Hensley
SBSD

The department received numerous calls from Goleta residents throughout the day, said Sheriff’s spokesperson Drew Sugars. “In one case, a citizen on the 6000 block of Berkeley Road reported finding a prowler in their backyard who jumped over the back fence and ran away,” Sugars said in a prepared statement. Authorities searching the area located Mathew Hensley walking on North Fairview Avenue near Shirrell Way. After a short investigation, he was taken into custody and booked in County Jail with bail set at $200,000.

Hensley had reportedly been staying at a Santa Maria hotel with several other people who were also trying to sell magazines door-to-door throughout the county. “Goleta Police and the Sheriff’s office remind all residents to be alert when suspicious salespeople come to your door,” said Sugars. “Always ask for a Santa Barbara County issued business license and matching identification.”

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