Million-dollar Bail for Accused Rapist and Attempted Murderer
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The quiet pre-dawn hours of January 10th at a popular traveler’s hotel in Goleta were shattered by the calamity of a noisy physical altercation between a male and female who had spent the night there.
According to Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department spokesman Lt. Jarrett Morris, it was at approximately 5:50 a.m. when the SBSD dispatch call center was alerted to “an attempted rape and murder” on the premises of the Best Western Plus South Coast Inn. The reporting victim identified her assailant as 33-year-old Port Hueneme resident Michael Nolan Medina.
At that point, the search for Medina was on, as he was no longer at the scene of the alleged attack. The search continued throughout the day, with detectives ultimately recruiting the services to the SBSD Air Support helicopter unit. Some nine hours later, Medina was spotted traveling on foot two miles from the hotel and was promptly taken into custody.
Medina was arrested and transported to Santa Barbara County Jail, where he was charged with attempted homicide, assault with intent to rape, false imprisonment, and making criminal threats. He remains in custody, with his bail set at $1,000,000.
