College Boys Graduate to Strongarm Robbery
ISLA VISTA — The UCSB campus, arguably one of the most geographically-desirable universities in the country—situated on the shores of the Pacific with one of the most iconic surfbreaks on the entire coastline at its feet—is ironically a hotbed of uninvited criminal activity that targets some of the more affluent and unaware undergrads.
Starr Martin
An example of that came on the evening of November 5th when Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Isla Vista Foot Patrol Deputies answered a 911 Emergency Call reporting, according to SBSD Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover, “a male victim being attacked by two male suspects” in the 6600 block of Abrego Road. Immediately thereafter, another 911 call was received from the alleged victim who reported that he had been assaulted and relieved of his “new iPhone”. According to the victim, one of his assailants—apparently in a fever over getting his hands on a new iPhone—dropped his own cellphone at the scene.
Aaron Cuthbert
Responding Deputies immediately established a perimeter and brought in a SBSD K9 Unit to do what dogs do best: sniff things out. It was only minutes later that Starr Martin, 21, was located and “taken into custody without incident,” according to Hoover’s report to the media. The second suspect, Aaron Cuthbert, 18, was found shortly thereafter, but he was not as cooperative as his cohort, and fled from deputies, taking them on a foot chase that lasted the better part of a half hour. He was ultimately run down and taken into custody.
Both Cuthbert and Martin are students at Santa Barbara City College, but will now be getting a practical education of sorts as they were transported to Santa Barbara County Jail where they were booked on charges of robbery, conspiracy, and resisting arrest, with their bail set at $100,000 each.
Photos: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
Read more:
Santa Barbara Noozhawk: Two SBCC Students Arrested in Isla Vista Robbery
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department: Two Isla Vista Residents Arrested for Forcible Cell Phone Theft Attack
