A 22-year-old Santa Barbara man was arrested last week in connection with a violent sexual assault, burglary, and robbery, according to police and court records.
Eduardo Gallardo-Arizmendi was taken into custody by Santa Barbara Police detectives on October 30 in the 100 block of East Carrillo Street, following an investigation into a series of crimes committed earlier that month.
In a statement issued Monday, the Santa Barbara Police Department said that in the early hours of October 18, officers responded to a report of a prowler in the 100 block of Juana Maria Avenue.
“Once officers arrived, they learned that an unidentified suspect had entered a home through an unlocked door and committed a sexual assault against an adult,” the department stated.
Officers searched the area but were unable to locate the suspect at the time. The case was handed over to detectives, who conducted what the department described as “extensive follow-up” before identifying Gallardo-Arizmendi as the suspect.
Police also linked him to a robbery on October 25 at a local business near 2000 State Street.
He was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail with bail set at $1 million.
Court documents filed Monday in two separate felony cases reveal that Gallardo-Arizmendi is now facing charges of assault with intent to commit rape, forcible oral copulation, oral copulation of an unconscious person, and first-degree burglary for the October 18 incident. In the robbery case, Gallardo-Arizmendi is charged with second-degree robbery and is also facing sentencing enhancements for committing a violent felony.
This is not Gallardo-Arizmendi’s first encounter with the criminal justice system. According to Santa Barbara County court records, he has a prior felony conviction from 2022 for multiple counts of robbery and first-degree burglary, as well as a more recent assault conviction in August 2025, for which he received a 108-day jail sentence in September, but got out after 54 days (on good behavior.
He also appeared in Lompoc Superior Court in 2024 in connection with another felony case involving assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury. That charge was dismissed as part of a plea deal; he ultimately pleaded guilty to battery and served 179 days in confinement.
Both current cases against Gallardo-Arizmendi are active, and he appeared for arraignment this Monday morning at the Santa Barbara County Superior Court.
Police say the investigation remains ongoing.
