The Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office arrested a suspect for stalking and hate crimes in Isla Vista on May 31.
The suspect, 25-year-old Samuel Emmanuel Johnson, was arrested after being seen sitting on a public bench in the 6800 block of Del Playa Drive on May 31. He was arrested for a misdemeanor of hate crimes and a felony of stalking.
The arrest follows a timely warning sent by the UC Santa Barbara Police Department to the campus community on May 31, stating that the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office (SBSO) reported two incidents of stalking, one on campus property, on May 27.
SBSO began an investigation on May 30 into the incidents, and found that Johnson stalked several women in the Isla Vista area over the past three months, according to the press release.
Johnson is currently in custody at the Santa Barbara County Jail and is being held on a $300,000 bail.
His bail was recently reduced to 50,000. His court hearing is 6/7 and 6/15