The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office announced yesterday that Sherriff’s deputies arrested Santa Barbara City College student Deon Kitt on April 2 in connection with the sexual assault of two local high school students, ages 17 and 18, in Isla Vista in either late February or early March.
Kitt, a 28-year-old Isla Vista resident, is currently in custody and charged with rape by force and/or fear, unlawful oral copulation by force and two counts of rape of an intoxicated or drugged victim. He is currently being held on $400,000 bail and will appear in Superior Court for a preliminary hearing on Thursday.
According to SB County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover, police decided to announce the arrest over a month after it was made because they are now investigating the “potential that there may be additional victims.” Other information on the incident cannot be released at this time to protect the victims’ privacy.
Hoover requested that anyone with information about the incident call the Sheriff’s Office at (805) 683-2724 or leave an anonymous tip at (805) 681-4171.
A version of this story appeared on page 1 of Wednesday, May 7, 2014’s print edition of the Daily Nexus.
Dear Nexus,
Why was the release of information on this arrest on April 2 for multiple rapes in Isla Vista delayed by the Santa Barbara Sheriffs Department for over one month.
Dear Kelly Hoover,
Why was the release of information on this arrest on April 2 for multiple rapes in Isla Vista delayed by the Santa Barbara Sheriffs Department for over one month?
“According to SB County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover, police decided to announce the arrest over a month after it was made because they are now investigating the “potential that there may be additional victims.”
This sentence doesn’t follow any logical progression and simply doesn’t make sense. For a paid spokesperson it is appealingly unclear and borders on pure gibberish.
So please, why was the announcement of an arrest on multiple violent felony charges from Isla Vista delayed for over a month Kelly?