Man Sentenced to Eight Years for Violent Assault on Two Women
Michael Stinchfield — who police said held two women against their will in his 1724 Garden Street home for hours as he physically assaulted them with a baseball bat and guitar strap — entered no-contest pleas to four felony charges this week and was sentenced to eight years in state prison. The incident took place in November 2012 as 57-year-old Stinchfield — once a successful Santa Barbara businessperson before gaining a reputation for violence and intimidation — was actively renovating a commercial property on lower State Street with plans to open a restaurant.
