Isla Vista, Calif. – The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a Santa Barbara man for stalking and hate crimes in Isla Vista. On Monday, May 30, 2022, Sheriff’s Deputy, Special Duty Jaycee Hunter began investigating stalking incidents that occurred in Isla Vista. Through his investigation, Deputy Hunter learned that a suspect, later identified as 25-year-old Samuel Emmanuel Johnson from Santa Barbara, had stalked several women in the Isla Vista area over the past three months. Johnson sent several threatening and unwanted messages to the women and contacted them in person.

On Tuesday, May 31, 2022, at approximately 7:45 p.m., one of the women spotted the suspect sitting on a public bench in the 6800-block of Del Playa and called 911. Sheriff’s deputies contacted the suspect and later arrested him for stalking (felony) and hate crimes (misdemeanor). He was booked at the Main Jail and is being held on $300,000 bail.