Photo: Drew Wohlenhaus
Santa Barbara County – In a classic example of “how not to respond to contact with law enforcement officers,” 32-year-old Isla Vista area transient Drew Wohlenhaus managed to get himself arrested on the afternoon of January 11th and charged with attempted murder of a peace officer.
It all began, according to Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover, in the middle of the afternoon when an Isla Vista Community Resource Deputy, in the company of a pair of uniformed Isla Vista Foot Patrol deputies entered a public park.
They were there to inform homeless folks in the park about the availability of shelter services with concerns for “the impending inclement weather” predicted for the area.
While in the park, the cops spotted Wohlenhaus dropping litter on the ground, a misdemeanor enforced by citation. When Wohlenhaus was approached by the deputies, he “refused to provide his name and became agitated.”
In spite of the fact that “deputies attempted to calm him down,” things quickly went from bad to worse. When Wohlenhaus attempted to walk away, the cops tried to physically detain him, at which point he “became combative” and tackled one of the deputies to the ground.
In the ensuing struggle, Wohlenhaus “bit one of the deputies and kicked another in the face,” and then made the mistake of trying to rip one of the cop’s guns from his holster. At that point, a taser was deployed, an “officer needs assistance” call was broadcast, and additional deputies were soon on the scene.
Wohlenhaus was eventually handcuffed and transported to Santa Barbara County Jail, where he was booked on multiple charges of battery upon a peace officer and attempted murder of a peace officer, with his bail set at $1,000,000.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
