Man Arrested for Machete Assault

Source: Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office

Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies located and arrested a Goleta man wanted for assaulting a male acquaintance in the 900 block of Ward Drive on Friday, August 25, 2017. Sheriff’s deputies responded to the mobile home park community at approximately midnight to a report of a subject with a machete. Upon arrival, deputies contacted a 51-year-old male victim whose fingers had been badly sliced by a male suspect who was identified as being 35-year-old Joseph Bianco of Goleta. The attack allegedly occurred after the two males got into an argument. Bianco left the area prior to law enforcement’s arrival. Medical personnel transported the victim to the hospital. Deputies set up a perimeter and searched for Bianco but were unable to locate him.

The next day, August 26, deputies located Bianco at Goleta Beach and found him to be in possession of a credit card that did not belong to him. He was arrested without incident and booked at the Santa Barbara County Jail on charges of felony assault with a deadly weapon and misappropriation of lost property. He is being held on $55,000 bail.