Josue Emanuel Torres
Santa Barbara Police Department detectives, upon receiving a report of an alleged rape occurring two days earlier, rolled up to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department Carpinteria Station on the evening of October 29th and made contact with a woman claiming to have been a victim of sexual assault.
According to Santa Barbara Police Department Public Information Officer Sgt. Riley Harwood, the 34-year-old female resident of Goleta reported that at approximately 3:00 a.m. on October 27th, Josue Emanuel Torres, was working as an employee at a downtown Santa Barbara gas station when she entered the premises. Torres “allowed the victim to use one of the restrooms” but shortly thereafter discovered that while in the restroom, she was “using an illegal drug.”
Having made that discovery, Torres allegedly “coerced the victim into having sex by threatening to call the police and having her arrested.” Apparently the drug using woman took Torres at his word and “fearing arrest” complied with his demand for the performance of a sexual act. Following the victim’s October 29th report, SBPD Crimes Against Persons Detectives Douglas Klug and Israel Santillan went after further information and arranged for a forensic medical examination of the putative victim and “put her in contact with an advocate from the Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center.”
Pursuant to the evidence gathered during the investigation, on October 31st, Klug and Santillan made contact with Torres at his residence, took him into custody, and transported him to Santa Barbara County Jail where he was booked on charges of rape by means of force or fear, with his bail set at $100,000.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara Police Department
