A Goleta resident allegedly involved in a stabbing on State Street earlier this month pleaded not guilty on April 15 to felony charges of attempted murder with special allegations of using a knife to cause great bodily harm and being out on bail at the time of the crime.
According to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office and the Santa Barbara Police Department, Eduardo Zermeno, 36, allegedly stabbed an individual on the 3100 block of State Street, sending them to the hospital in critical condition. Alexis Garcia, 37, was arrested alongside Zermeno in Carpineteria on April 12 for allegedly aiding and harboring Zermeno.
Garcia is charged with one felony count of accessory after the fact, and was released on bail on April 13. She is scheduled to appear in Department 8 on June 13.
Zermeno (initially identified as Eduardo Zermano-Arzate in the S.B. Police Department’s announcement of his arrest) is being held without bail at the Santa Barbara County Jail. Zermeno is a repeat offender in Santa Barbara County and has been in and out of the Santa Barbara courtroom since 2016. According to court records, he pleaded guilty in March to a felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon in a December 2023 incident. The District Attorney’s Office said Zermeno has been convicted of one additional serious felony, although the lack of court records suggests the conviction may have occurred in another county. Zermeno has also been convicted of multiple misdemeanor charges, including DUIs and driving with a suspended license.
Zermeno will appear before Judge Michael Carrozzo in Department 12 on April 21. Per California’s Three Strikes Law, Zermeno faces a sentence of 25 years to life if found guilty of this third violent felony.
