The driver of a gray Jeep Compass was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after the car hit a home in Goleta last week, a California Highway Patrol spokesperson confirmed.
Joseph Fletcher, 42, was arrested at around 8:20 p.m. Tuesday after the vehicle caused major damage to a home on the 100 block of Lassen Drive.
Fletcher sustained minor injuries in the crash, which was reported just after 7 p.m., according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
No other injuries were reported.
Charges have not been filed in the case as of Monday, the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s Office confirmed.
Fletcher is no longer in police custody as of Monday, per Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office logs.
Five people and four dogs were displaced from the home, which was red-tagged due to major damage.
Amber Belletti, a UC Santa Barbara class of 2022 graduate, identified her family as those impacted in a GoFundMe post.
She said the crash made the home “unlivable,” and asked for the community’s help with immediate and long-term needs, such as temporary housing, food and repairs.
She said the home’s front door, water and gas lines, and front wall need to be repaired.
“What should be the one place where my family and I feel safe was suddenly damaged in a way that has left us shaken, displaced, and trying to figure out how to move forward one step at a time,” she wrote. “This has been an incredibly painful and overwhelming experience for all of us.”
