Santa Barbara, Calif.  – On Wednesday, March 19, 2025, the Sheriff’s Office honored employees and community members at an Annual Recognition Awards Program and Luncheon held at the Santa Ynez Marriott. The award recipients were recognized for their exemplary service during 2024. Lunch was graciously provided by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Benevolent Posse who have consistently hosted this event as a gesture of support and thanks to the honorees.

The ceremony began with a presentation of service pins, honoring team members who have served the County of Santa Barbara for 20 years including; Sheriff’s Lieutenant Joseph Schmidt, Custody Lieutenant Dulce Brooks, Sheriff’s Sergeant Thomas Green Jr., Sheriff’s Deputy Special Duty Ray Gamboa Jr., Sheriff’s Deputy Special Duty Adrian Hernandez, Custody Deputy Special Duty Ursula VanDoren, Communications Dispatcher Supervisor Ben Johnson, Communications Dispatcher II Amanda Reer, Department Business Specialist II Sarah Allison, Administrative Office Professional Sr. Becca Andre, and Laundry Coordinator Tim Pavico.

Next, team members were honored for 25 years of service, including Sheriff’s Lieutenant Richard Brittingham, Sheriff’s Lieutenant Jeff Greene, Sheriff’s Sergeant Sandy Frausto, Sheriff’s Sergeant Michael Harris, Sheriff’s Deputy Special Duty George Deluca, Sheriff’s Deputy Special Duty Ruben Esparza, Sheriff’s Deputy Special Duty Robert Lacey, Sheriff’s Deputy Special Duty Raul Vasquez, Sheriff’s Deputy Marco Diaz, and Custody Deputy Juan Valdez.

In a class all his own, Sheriff’s Lieutenant Ugo “Butch” Arnoldi was honored for 50 years of service, a service pin that Sheriff Brown pointed out had to be specially made for him.

Communications Dispatch Supervisor Shannon Hoogenbosch was recognized with the Emergency Medical Services Agency’s Storke pin for talking a caller through assisting with childbirth when they could not make it to a hospital in time.

Thirty-seven deputies received a commendation for naloxone saves where they administered Narcan in a manner that resulted in the reversal of a suspected opioid overdose and prevented a victim from dying. These deputies include; Sheriff’s Lieutenant Jarrett Morris, Sheriff’s Sergeant Eric Delgadillo, Sheriff’s Sergeant Matthew West, Custody Sergeant David Bouslaugh, Custody Sergeant Luis Espinosa, Custody Sergeant Jeffrey Koeller, Sheriff’s Deputy Special Duty Mohsen Amjadi, Sheriff’s Deputy Special Duty Torey Dunn, Sheriff’s Deputy Special Duty Philip Farley, Sheriff’s Deputy Special Duty Anthony Muneton, Custody Deputy Special Duty Anita Arteaga, Custody Deputy Special Duty Alfredo Gallardo, Custody Deputy Special Duty Bradley Luis, Custody Deputy Special Duty Paul Russ, Sheriff’s Deputy Mike Alexander-Fuller, Sheriff’s Deputy Francesca Arnoldi, Sheriff’s Deputy Bruno Bertuzzi, Sheriff’s Deputy Christopher Brady, Sheriff’s Deputy Elias Gonzalez, Sheriff’s Deputy Alina Kleemaier, Sheriff’s Deputy Christian Mejia-Paz, Sheriff’s Deputy Robert Santana, Sheriff’s Deputy Matthew Shotwell, Sheriff’s Deputy Wilhelm Wallace, Sheriff’s Deputy Connor Worden, Sheriff’s Deputy Norma Escarcega, Custody Deputy Javier Aguilera-Mendoza, Custody Deputy Jose Angelez, Custody Deputy Rafael Camacho, Custody Deputy Alicia Duran, Custody Deputy Robert Ferrel, Custody Deputy Joemarie Fuentes, Custody Deputy Humberto Orosco, Custody Deputy Kristen Mahurin, Custody Deputy Julian Muniz, Custody Deputy Luis Ruiz, Custody Deputy Zachary Salce, and Custody Deputy Matthew Sua.

Next, was the presentation of the highest civilian award given by the Sheriff’s Office – The Exceptional Civilian Award. Richard Weston-Smith and Kirsten Cavendish Weston-Smith, co-founders of One805, were honored for their steadfast support and commitment to the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office, and first responders throughout Santa Barbara County.

The next awards presented were the Sheriff’s Lifesaving Award – presented to members of the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office, members of allied agencies or civilians who perform CPR or other lifesaving first aid procedures upon ill or injured persons, resulting in the individual surviving their immediate injury or medical emergency. Honorees included Sheriff’s Sergeant Eric Delgadillo, Custody Deputy Special Duty Jason Contreras, Custody Deputy Special Duty Ansel Noakes, Sheriff’s Deputy Kody Kiesow, Custody Deputy Jose Angelez, Custody Deputy Steven Brandenburg, Custody Deputy Jose Miguel, Custody Deputy Cristian Novoa, and Custody Deputy Matthew Sua.

Next, Sheriff Brown presented two Sheriff’s Unit Citations, an award intended to recognize a particular organizational unit for outstanding service resulting from a team effort.  Honorees this year were the Sheriff’s Communications Dispatchers and the Crisis Negotiation Team.

Next, Sheriff Brown presented the Meritorious Service Award. This award is given to members of the Sheriff’s Office who perform superior accomplishments that result in significant contributions to the efficient operation of the Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff’s Detectives Daniel Kohli, Matthew Maxwell and Ruben Esparza were honored for their relentless drive, strategic thinking, and unwavering dedication to pursue justice in the murder case of Violet Evelyn Alberts. Sergeant Tyler Yeates was honored for his quick and resolute actions in the face of danger and life-threatening conditions that resulted in the successful rescue of a suicidal person. Sheriff’s Sergeant Chris Corbett and Sheriff’s Deputy Anthony Muneton were honored for their quick thinking, bravery and commitment to protecting life at risk to themselves for preventing a suicidal subject from jumping off a bluff ledge.

Sheriff Brown closed the awards ceremony with the presentation of the Medal of Courage to Sheriff’s Deputy Christopher Nelson for his extraordinary bravery in the face of immediate peril when an explosive device was detonated at the Santa Maria Courthouse on September 25, 2024. Deputy Nelson was working his assigned post inside the lobby that day and was sitting only feet away when the device exploded, sending a shower of burning material throughout the lobby and filling the room with a thick cloud of acrid smoke.

Just as the explosion occurred, Deputy Nelson instinctively began drawing his firearm to engage the suspect, then quickly took cover behind a desk to protect himself from the blast. Within seconds, Deputy Nelson began running through the chaotic, smoke-filled lobby in pursuit of the bomber. A short distance away, Deputy Nelson encountered the suspect being restrained by a private security guard as he was attempting to enter his vehicle, which had been parked right next to the entrance of the courthouse. Unknown to Deputy Nelson at the time, the suspect was within arm’s reach of a loaded rifle and shotgun as he and two fellow law enforcement officers took him into custody, putting an end to his destruction.

Sheriff Brown closed the ceremony by saying, “The formal recognition of heroic or superior conduct is an inexact science at best. I know that each and every one of you, the members of the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office, have performed or will perform your duties in an exceptional manner, and that most of the time your actions will not be formally recognized. Day after day you exhibit physical and moral courage, compassion, caring and dedication to duty.”