Photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's OfficeSANTA BARBARA, Calif- The new Santa Barbara School Resources Officer had a routine arrest turn into a much bigger one and landed a gang associate in jail.
According to Police, on Monday August 27, 2012 at 11:15 a.m., Officer Marshall was on the grounds of Santa Barbara High School when she was notified by staff of a subject causing a disturbance and challenging staff members to fight. The subject was Christian Ariel Hernandez, age 19, a former student and Eastside Gang associate. Officer Marshall located Hernandez near the intersection of Canon Perdido Street and Nopal Street and attempted to contact him. Hernandez fled on his skateboard, southbound on Nopal Street, until he was stopped a block away by Officer Marshall and school staff at the intersection of Nopal Street and De La Guerra Street.
Officer Marshall initially arrested Hernandez for resisting or delaying and officer and disturbing the peace (challenging to fight). Upon searching Hernandez she found that he was armed with a knife and in possession of a scale, a bindle of cocaine, a bindle of marijuana, two plastic containers of marijuana, and cash consisting mostly of twenty dollar bills. The totality of the circumstances indicates that Hernandez was selling marijuana on campus.
Hernandez was booked at Santa Barbara County Jail for the following felonies: possession of marijuana for sale, possession of cocaine, possession of cocaine within 1000 feet of school grounds, and possession of a weapon on school grounds. He was also booked for the misdemeanors of possession of marijuana on school grounds and resisting or delaying an officer. His bail amount is $20,000.00.
The Santa Barbara Police Department's new School Resources Officer is already having an impact on campus crime. The position had been vacant due to budget and staffing challenges, however Police Chief Cam Sanchez made it a priority to fill the position in time for the start of the new school year; a decision welcomed by school district officials. Officer Christina Marshall was selected for the position, effective August 25, 2012. Her responsibilities include patrolling school campuses, assisting faculty with student misbehavior, apprehending serious offenders on campus, responding to crimes in progress on school grounds, counseling students, and making referrals to community agencies.
