Goleta Resident Who Attacked Homeless Man Sentenced to Jail

A man who authorities say violently attacked a transient on an Isla Vista beach last year was sentenced in March after pleading guilty to battery with serious bodily injury.

Brian Pipkin, 35, a Goleta resident, was sentenced to three years of probation, 312 days in Santa Barbara County Jail, and outpatient alcohol treatment. That he seek other therapies was also recommended, prosecutor Gregory Boller said.

According to authorities, Pipkin kicked and punched a 54-year-old victim on the beach, and he also reportedly picked up a rock and slammed it onto the man’s head. Pipkin was located a short time later in an Isla Vista park.