A Goleta man is facing multiple felony charges after he allegedly severely beat and threatened his underage girlfriend, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
Deputies responded to a Goleta residence on March 19 to investigate a report of a missing female juvenile, said Raquel Zick, a sheriff’s spokeswoman.
“Two hours after deputies took the initial report, the juvenile returned home with multiple serious injuries,” Zick said. “Deputies returned to the residence, where they spoke with the juvenile and discovered that her boyfriend had severely beaten her, brandished a weapon and threatened her.”
The girl was treated at a local hospital, and has since been released, Zick said.
An arrest warrant was issued for her boyfriend — Gilberto S. Guajardo, 21 — and deputies attempted to find him, but were unsuccessful, she added.
Eventually, investigators were able to track Guajardo to Ventura County, and he was arrested there on Tuesday on suspicion of domestic violence with injury, terrorist threats, assault with a deadly weapon, and assault with a deadly weapon with force likely to cause great bodily injury, all felonies, Zick said.
Guajardo was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail, where he remained Wednesday, with bail set at $500,000.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.