Edhat Staff
Update by the edhat staff
The Sheriff’s Office announced the armed burglary suspect was arrested on Tuesday afternoon thanks to an eagle-eyed community member.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office released photos (see below) Tuesday morning shortly after a male suspect attempted a burglary at a residence in the 800 block of Sand Point Road.
Edhat and other local media shared the photos and the Sheriff’s request for the public to call 911 if he’s spotted.
The Sheriff’s Office stated they received several helpful tips and around 1:24 p.m. Tuesday, Sheriff’s Dispatch received a call that the suspect was in the area of Via Real and Santa Monica in Carpinteria.
Deputies quickly responded to the area and detained 30-year-old Halen Bretz of Santa Barbara. Bretz was positively identified by a witness and is being booked at the Main Jail for brandishing a knife (misdemeanor), burglary (felony), and dissuading a witness (felony). Bretz is being held without bail on a probation detainer.
“The Sheriff’s Office appreciates community members who were keeping an eye out for this suspect and those who called in to offer information. Community assistance was key to the safe and successful apprehension of this suspect,” the Sheriff’s Office stated.
By the edhat staff
The Sheriff’s Office is looking for the public’s help to identify an armed suspect that attempted to gain access to a Summerland home Tuesday morning.
At 9:08 a.m., Santa Barbara County Deputies responded to the 800 block of Sand Point Road for report of a male intruder at a residence who had a knife and told workers at the residence not to call 911.
When deputies arrived, they conducted a search of the residence with a Sheriff’s K9 and found that the suspect had fled the residence prior to their arrival. The suspect remains outstanding, and it is unclear if he is still in possession of the knife that witnesses reported.
The Sheriff’s Office is sharing photos captured at the scene along with a request that the public call our dispatch center if they spot him. You can reach Sheriff’s Dispatch at (805)683-2724 or in case of an emergency, at 911.
We ask that the public refrain from attempting to contact or detain this suspect.
Photos: Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office
[Ed note: This article has been updated with additional information from the Sheriff’s Office]
What a jackhole.
Mask up for safety! At least he is attempting to follow Covid protocol.
Looks like my husband’s underwear he’s wearing on his head….
smells like it too
‘Life Is Hard; It’s Even Harder When You’re Stupid’.
Phew. I was worried his disguise would really throw off the cops.
Access is from Santa Claus Lane or “summerland” direction rather than the access to sandyland cove side which only has access from Carpinteria. The salt marsh means the person involved would leave in direction towards Summerland so the idea is to get the sheriffs looking there, not on Carpinteria Avenue 1/2 mile away
After they caught him, did they have to throw him back for being undersized?
I’m pretty confident his Public Defender has told him in the past that it is better to burglarize without a weapon because the charges are way lighter, and there is really no benefit to carry a weapon. In one ear, out the other. Being stupid should not be a defense, but why not try for it?
Pretty snappy costume…
That address is in Carpinteria, not Summerland.
A LITTLE BIRDY. ** Good catch.** I was racking my brain trying to think where Sand Point Rd is in Summerland. Carp it is.
Sheriff statement says Summerland?
https://www.sbsheriff.org/deputies-searching-for-burglary-suspect-in-summerland/
It appears this guy has been arrested 20 times: https://www.localcrimenews.com/welcome/detail/57897789/halen-tyler-bretz-arrest.html
Thank you Rinconer. That Local Crime News & Arrest record is very interesting.
Also great to see a timely posting of good quality photos of the suspect which, as we see, resulted in the arrest. I note that this guy has been a problem since 2013 and the severity of his crimes keeps escalating.