The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint this week against the man accused of attempted kidnapping, sexual battery and exposing himself to 10 women and girls in Isla Vista in late February.
Michael Angelo Auclair, 30, of Port Hueneme is charged with eight felony counts and special allegations related to convictions of indecent exposure in previous cases, and being on probation, parole, or a community supervision program at the time of the alleged crimes.
On Feb. 28, law enforcement agencies received reports of multiple incidents described as indecent exposure, nonconsensual fondling, and attempted kidnapping on the streets of Isla Vista.
One woman described being approached near the intersection of Camino Del Sur and Sueno Road by a man who fondled her breasts while covering her mouth, then fled in a vehicle, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Raquel Zick said.
Responding deputies searched for the man, who was described as a young man with dark hair, but no one was taken into custody that night.
Home surveillance videos helped sheriff’s detectives identify a suspect, and deputies arrested Auclair in Lompoc on March 5, Zick said.
Auclair was booked into the Santa Barbara County Main Jail, with bail set at $1 million and was being held in custody as of Wednesday, according to sheriff custody records.
The Sheriff’s Department and UC Santa Barbara Police increased the number of patrolling law enforcement personnel in the area, and did not receive reports of any similar incidents after the night of Feb. 28, Zick said.
Auclair faces six counts of felony indecent exposure, which is described in the criminal complaint as “willingly, unlawfully, and lewdly expose his/her person, and the private parts thereof, in a public place, and in a place where there were present other persons to be offended thereby, said defendant having previously been convicted of a violation of this section on May 13, 2021, and Jan. 6, 2021, in Superior Court of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.”
The victims, Jane Doe 1 to Jane Doe 9, include six college-aged women and three girls around 10 years old.
Auclair is also charged with sexual battery by restraint for unlawfully touching an intimate part of a woman while restraining her, and the “attempt to kidnap or carry away Jane Doe 10 to commit rape, oral copulation, sexual penetration or sodomy,” according to the criminal complaint.
Prosecutors also allege his prior convictions “are numerous and of increasing seriousness,” and that Auclair was on probation, parole or a supervision program at the time of the crimes.
Auclair has been convicted of indecent exposure and child annoying/molesting charges in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties and was required to register as a sex offender.
In March 2018, Santa Barbara police responded to three incidents in the same day in which a man called women over to his car and exposed himself and masturbated in front of them, according to court documents.
The suspect was described as a white man with a beard, and victims were also able to give specific vehicle descriptions and license plate information. Police questioned Auclair, who verbally confessed and said, “Everything they told you is true,” and that he was “in need of help,” according to court records.
In June 2018, a similar incident was reported on Cliff Drive, when a man had exposed himself to women and children.
Auclair was convicted in both cases, according to Ventura County Superior Court documents. Santa Barbara court cases were consolidated with Ventura County cases, according to records.
He was convicted of four counts of indecent exposure and child molesting in January 2021 for the March incidents in Santa Barbara.
For the June incident, he pleaded guilty in May 2021 to a misdemeanor count of indecent exposure and other charges (including additional indecent exposure and child annoying) were dismissed by the court.
— Noozhawk managing editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.