Photo: home invasion
January 8, 2022 – Santa Barbara, Ca.
In a scene right out of the latest Hollywood terror-in-the-house movie, a Santa Barbara mother of three found herself naked and barricaded in a bedroom with her youngest daughter while an unknown intruder invaded the residence.
According to Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Raquel Zick, it all began at 9:00 a.m. on January 6 th when the female victim—while her 14-year-old daughter slept—was “taking a shower in her upstairs bathroom.” While the daughter slept and the family dog had been locked away in another bedroom, the mother curiously heard the dog as it “started barking and wouldn’t stop.”
At the same time, the mother received a text message from the 14-year-old who reported “There’s a man in my bathroom across from my room” and that he was “cursing and talking about murdering someone.” Without hesitation, the mother ran out of the shower and barricaded herself and her daughter in the girl’s room. A quick call to 911 soon brought law enforcement to the scene.
Upon arrival, the cops and Santa Barbara City Fire Department personnel erected a ladder leading to a flat roof just outside the girl’s bedroom. Both females quickly evacuated the residence, whereupon police began the process of extracting the intruder from the home.
Four hours later, SBSD SWAT personnel “entered the home” and located 27-year-old transient German Hernandez Jr. “hiding in a closet” and summarily took him into custody.
Hernandez Jr. was transported to Santa Barbara County Jail—where he had been incarcerated less than 24 hours prior—and was booked on charges of committing a felony while out on bail, burglary, looting during a state of emergency, resisting arrest, and prowling. He remains in custody with his bail set at $550,000.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara City Fire Department.
