Man Arrested in Violent Assault by Railroad Tracks

After a violent assault along the railroad tracks, a woman with serious head injuries was found near Bath and Montecito streets the morning of October 2. She was taken to Cottage hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries and was able to tell police she did not know her attacker.

A man who was on parole, Leo Burl Butler, 40, was arrested for parole violation on October 4, according to police spokesperson Anthony Wagner. During the ongoing investigation, Santa Barbara police detectives determined that Butler had allegedly attacked the woman. Sheriff’s custody records identify the man as Leo Butler; a man matching his description — and with numerous aliases — is registered with the Megan’s Law sex offender database.

Felony charges of assault with a deadly weapon, battery with great bodily harm, and a bodily harm enhancement were lodged against Butler. His bail was set at $500,000.

[Update: Oct. 7, 2019, 9 p.m.] This story was updated to add the Butner/Butler alias information and to correct the misspelling.