June 8, 2026 – Ventura County, CA — A Santa Barbara man was arrested June 5 after Ventura County sheriff’s detectives
linked him to a residential burglary reported last month.
The burglary was reported about 3:10 a.m. May 17, when deputies from the Ventura
County Sheriff’s Department Headquarters Station responded to the home in the Silver
Strand unincorporated area of Ventura County. According to VCSD spokesman Sergeant
Ryan DeBlauw, “several high-value items had been stolen from the residence, including
a high-end television and numerous personal belongings with significant sentimental
value.”
Deputies began canvassing the area and located surveillance footage that captured the
suspect’s movements.
“The video showed an unknown man entering and leaving the
victim’s property several times while carrying stolen items from the residence.”
The immediately ensuing investigation identified the suspect as Justin Hill, 39 of Santa
Barbara. Investigators also identified a 2010 Audi associated with Hill that matched the
description of a vehicle seen during the investigation.
As the case developed, detectives learned that the Santa Barbara Police Department was
conducting “an unrelated criminal investigation: involving Hill. At that point, Ventura
County detectives coordinated with Santa Barbara police and gathered additional
information. Based on the evidence accumulated, detectives obtained search warrants
for Hill, his residence and his vehicle.
At about 8:45 a.m. June 5 VCSD detectives located Hill driving the suspect vehicle in
the 2000 block of State Street in downtown Santa Barbara. Detectives then conducted
“a traffic stop under the authority of the search warrant” and made contact with Hill.
Hill was taken into custody at the scene and transported to Ventura County Jail, where
he was booked on a charge of residential burglary, with his bail set at $50,000.
– By F. Scott Faulkner
