Photo: Loren Allen
August 10, 2020 – Santa Barbara, Ca.
One of the great attractions of life in Santa Barbara and neighboring Goleta is the widespread
access to local area beaches. There may be nothing more pleasant on a balmy summer
morning than a stroll along Goleta’s oceanfront bluffs or a visit to the silver sands of Haskell’s
Beach, neither location exactly a hotbed of criminal activity.
But that any feelings of tranquility or connection with nature were shattered for a woman
walking along the bluffs above the beach just after 8:00 a.m. on August 8th, when she was
suddenly attacked in a violent robbery attempt.
According to Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Raquel Zick, a 911 Emergency call brought uniformed patrol deputies to the scene where “the victim reported that a male subject had punched her several times while trying to steal her property.”
Suffering minor injuries as a result of the attack, the victim “declined emergency medical
attention,” but did manage to provide a detailed description of her assailant.
The cops immediately set up a secure perimeter and summoned the resources of a K-9 unit to
help search for the suspect described as “a white male adult” of specific height and build
“wearing a light blue T-shirt and gray shorts.” The search for the suspect continued throughout
the day, with warning alerts going out to area residents.
A relentless search continued throughout the day, and at approximately 5:00 p.m., 44-year-old
Goleta resident Loren Allen was contacted, identified, and taken into custody. He was booked
on charges of attempted robbery and battery, with his bail set at $50,000.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
