Royce Warner
Santa Barbara – On July 29th, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover released information to the public for the first time regarding the July 13th arrest of 36-year-old Lompoc resident Royce Devin Warner as he sat in the Santa Barbara County Jail awaiting extradition to Fargo, North Dakota.
Warner has been sitting in Santa Barbara County Jail since June 20th pending extradition pursuant to allegations of his possession of child pornography.
North Dakota law enforcement authorities have accused Warner of “four felony charges,” Hoover remarked, adding that at the time of his arrest, “he was employed at the Lompoc Unified School District in the print shop,” and had been so employed since July 2015.
The new allegations of “sexual abuse of a child” are the result of what Hoover characterized as “an investigation conducted by sheriff’s detectives with the Criminal Investigations Division.”
Throughout her statements to the media, Hoover did not elaborate on any evidence or other details of the investigation leading to the local charges now imposed upon Warner. “He will face the local charges before being considered for his extradition to North Dakota,” was her only additional comment.
Pursuant to the new local charges, Warner remains in residence at Santa Barbara County Jail with his bail now set at $500,000. Hoover added that Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Detectives “are concerned there are more victims and are seeking the public’s help” by bringing any information regarding Warner’s activities to their attention at (805) 934-6170.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
