Man Arrested for Alleged Kidnapping of Young Girl in Carpinteria
Incident Reported by Carpinteria Middle School Staff, Leading to Arrest at Local Motel
A man was arrested Thursday for allegedly kidnapping a young girl in an incident that took place Monday afternoon in Carpinteria, according to Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Raquel Zick.
On Tuesday, staff at Carpinteria Middle School notified student resource deputy Bryan Dickey of an incident that occurred Monday afternoon, after which Dickey spoke with the victim — described only as a “female juvenile” — who provided a detailed account of the kidnapping and description of the suspect.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the alleged kidnapping happened around 4 p.m. on Monday, on the 5500 block of Carpinteria Avenue near the entrance to the bike path.
Following the description of the suspect, authorities were able to identify the man as Elias Maldonado, of Santa Barbara, who was tracked down to a motel on the same 5500 block of Carpinteria Avenue. Deputies also learned that Maldonado had an outstanding warrant for his arrest.
Sign up for Indy Today to receive fresh news from Independent.com, in your inbox, every morning.
Dickey and several other patrol deputies — including a Sheriff’s K-9 unit — found Maldonado at the motel Thursday morning, where he was arrested after “briefly attempting to flee,” Zick said.
Early reports from the Sheriff’s Office stated Maldonado was 51 years old, but jail records and custody staff confirmed that Maldonado is 35 years old. He is currently booked at Santa Barbara County’s Main Jail facing charges of attempted kidnapping of a child under the age of 14 (felony) and obstructing a peace officer (misdemeanor), as well as his outstanding warrant for domestic violence (felony) and false imprisonment (felony). He is being held on $150,000 bail.
A separate incident was reported by the Sheriff’s Office in Carpinteria on Monday evening near the 5500 block of Carpinteria Avenue, involving an outstanding suspect in a shooting that left one female juvenile with moderate injuries due to a “gunshot wound to an extremity,” according to the statement released Tuesday. In that incident, deputies discovered the victim had been shot near the same location on Carpinteria Avenue, which extends from the Casa Del Sol Motel to just past the Motel 6.
When asked whether the two incidents were connected, Zick said there “was no indication they are related” at this time.
Support the Santa Barbara Independent through a long-term or a single contribution.
