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Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies arrest Buellton man for warrant issued in Missouri following brief standoff

mitchell medina
Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office
Mitchell Medina, 34, of Buellton.

BUELLTON, Calif. - Santa Barbara County Sheriff's deputies and Buellton police arrested a man at his home in Buellton for an outstanding warrant issued by the Mercer County Sheriff's Office in Missouri after a brief standoff at his residence.

Law enforcement responded to the 400 block of Farmland at 2:44 p.m. on Thursday in an attempt to locate the wanted suspect and a stolen vehicle at the request of the Mercer County Sheriff's Office.

They said the suspect, 34-year-old Mitchell Medina of Buellton, was wanted for felony vehicle theft and vehicle tampering.

The Sheriff's Office said the stolen vehicle was a maroon Chevrolet truck. Upon arriving at Medina's home, the truck was found in his driveway.

To be safe, deputies reportedly called out to Medina over their PA system and asked him to exit his residence.

Medina opened the front door and spoke with the deputies momentarily before allegedly running back inside and closing the door.

Sergeant Woodill then spoke with Medina through his front window while he paced in his living room. At one point, Medina reportedly picked up his young child and continued to pace with the child in his arms as he refused to be taken into custody.

While the sergeant continued talking with Medina, more resources were called including a K9 unit, the Hostage Negotiation Team and the Special Enforcement Team.

Eventually, Sergeant Woodill convinced Medina to come out of his residence by reassuring him that his child would be cared for if he agreed to surrender.

Deputies said Medina then walked out his front door and voluntarily handed his child to Sergeant Woodill before being taken into custody.

Child Welfare Services also responded to the scene and took Medina's child into their care.

The Sheriff's Office said the stolen vehicle was towed.

Medina was booked in the Santa Barbara County Jail for resisting arrest, child endangermont and the warrant from Missouri.

However, deputies are arranging his release on the zero bail rule.

Article Topic Follows: Crime & Courts

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Jessica Brest

Jessica Brest is a digital journalist and assignment editor for NewsChannel 3-12. To learn more about Jessica, click here.

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