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Santa Barbara Symphony to present preview of 2021-22 season - B1
Santa Barbara Center for Art, Science and Technology to present special exhibits - B4
Our 166th Year
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SB surf instructor indicted for killing children Matthew Taylor Coleman eligible for death penalty By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Santa Barbara surf instructor Matthew Taylor Coleman was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday for allegedly driving his two children to Rosarito, Mexico, and killing them. He is eligible for the death penalty. He will make an initial appearance on the indictment in the United States District Court in Los Angeles today. The case will be prosecuted in the U.S. District Court in San Diego at a later date. The attorney general will rule whether the death penalty will be sought in the case. “There are no words to describe the profound grief that envelops
an entire community when a child is murdered,” Acting U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said in a news release. “The Department of Justice is determined to achieve justice for these victims and their loved ones.” Mr. Coleman, 40, allegedly killed his 2-year-old son and 10-monthold daughter Aug. 9 using a fishing gun to pierce their chests. He is charged with two counts of foreign first-degree murder of U.S. nationals, per the indictment. A federal complaint filed in Los Angeles originally charged him with these crimes, but prosecutors intend to dismiss the complaint, according to the Department of Justice. The complaint by an FBI special agent says Mr. Coleman believed
he was “saving the world from monsters.” He reportedly was inspired by QAnon conspiracies and told the agent he believed his wife passed “serpent DNA” to the young children. “The murder of a child is difficult to understand under any circumstances,” said Kristi K. Johnson, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “I’m proud of the quick investigative efforts by FBI Agents, the Santa Barbara Police Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and our Mexican counterparts which led to the arrest of Mr. Coleman as he entered the United States, and I look forward to delivering justice for the young victims and
their family.” Investigation began when Mr. Coleman’s wife called Santa Barbara Police officers Aug. 7. The family had planned to go camping but instead, her husband and kids had left in the family’s sprinter van. She did not believe the kids or herself were in danger. An affidavit in support of the criminal complaint said she was worried because he forgot a car seat. SBPD Officer Michael Chung followed up Sunday evening. He instructed her to use the “Find My iPhone” application to locate her husband, and the phone had last registered to an open-air marketplace in Rosarito. SBPD engaged the FBI and U.S.
Border Patrol in the case, and they waited for Mr. Coleman to cross into the United States. He reached the border at 1 p.m. Monday, and Customs and Border Protection officers noticed what appeared to be blood on his vehicle’s registration paperwork. There were no other occupants in the vehicle. Law enforcement in Rosarito found the bodies of two children that morning. Mr. Coleman later identified and initialed photographs taken at the scene of the discovery. The FBI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Santa Barbara Police Department are continuing the investigation. The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office assisted
the investigation. The Department of Justice is thankful for the Government of Mexico’s help, including the Fiscalía General del Estado de Baja California and the Secretaría de Seguridad Pública Municipal de Rosarito. The United States selected the Southern District of California as the location of trial Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Ko of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California and Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Butler, Joanna Curtis, and Billy Joe McLain of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California are prosecuting the case. email: ahanshaw@newspress.com
Elder in Santa Barbara
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“I do think that we as a community have learned a lot, and I think that we are seeing slight upticks after major holidays, but not catastrophically like we did in the first year (of the pandemic),” said Dr. Van Do-Reynoso, the county’s public health director.
Officials expect COVID-19 uptick California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder spoke during a pro-recall rally at the Sunken Garden on Wednesday.
KENNETH SONG/NEWS-PRESS
Leading Republican gubernatorial candidate speaks at courthouse By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Larry Elder, the popular talk show host and the leading Republican candidate in the recall election, spoke to a crowd gathered in the Sunken Gardens on Wednesday to promote his campaign on the South Coast in the final days leading up to the election. Mr. Elder was greeted by chants of “Larry, Larry” as he descended down a side staircase of the Santa Barbara County Courthouse Wednesday afternoon, escorted by deputies from the Sheriff’s Office and former county supervisor
Mike Stoker. “Say hello to the black face of white supremacy,” Mr. Elder said in his opening remarks, making reference to a Los Angeles Times column that gave him this title. He faced a crowd of hundreds of Santa Barbarians, most of whom came out to show support for the recall, though some wandered through the crowd with signs that encouraged folks to vote “no” to the recall. Across the street from the courthouse, a crowd gathered together holding signs that rejected the recall effort, encouraging passersby to keep Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in
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his position of power. During his remarks, Mr. Elder covered various state issues that he promised to resolve if he were elected, covering topics like schools, crime, homelessness, water resources and the COVID-19 pandemic. He repeatedly slammed Gov. Newsom for many of his policies, including his stance on crime, homelessness and his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We have an arrogant governor who has shut down the state in a more severe way than did all of the other 49 governors,” Mr. Elder said. “Sitting up there at the French Laundry restaurant with
the very people that drafted the mandates that they were violating. They were not wearing masks. They were not engaging in social distancing.” “His own kids were enjoying in-person private education while denying us the right to have our kids enjoy in-person public education,” he added. If elected, Mr. Elder said he would repeal the governor’s existing mandate that requires all state workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine or undergo weekly testing. He told the crowd that he chose to get the vaccine, and he believes Please see ELDER on A6
Post-Labor Day increase predicted By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
After a busy Labor Day Weekend, health officials in Santa Barbara County say the region will likely see an uptick in COVID-19 cases in the coming days and weeks. Historically, the county has seen an uptick in cases following holidays due to larger groups of people gathering together in indoor settings, according to Dr. David Fisk, an infectious disease expert with Cottage Health and Sansum Clinic. Dr. Fisk said the county even saw an uptick during this year’s Memorial Day and Fourth of July holidays, and he expects that the past Labor Day Holiday is likely to bring a similar surge.
“We think there certainly will be somewhat of a surge — particularly in unvaccinated persons — like there has been after so many of the other holiday weekends during the pandemic, particularly because fewer people are social distanced now and interacting more and gathering more in groups in indoor settings,” Dr. Fisk told the News-Press. With many local schools returning to session in the last weeks of August, Dr. Fisk said health officials remain concerned about how Labor Day weekend may impact cases among children. He said the county expects to see an increase in cases among Please see UPTICK on A2
INSIDE
L O T T E RY RESULTS
Classified.............. B4 Life..................... B1-3 Obituaries............. A6
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 4-5-7-25-38 Meganumber: 2
Wednesday’s DAILY 4: 0-0-9-4
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 15-17-25-32-53 Meganumber: 12
Wednesday’s FANTASY 5: 11-13-15-19-24
Wednesday’s DAILY DERBY: 07-05-10 Time: 1:40.99
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 9-22-41-47-61 Meganumber: 21
Sudoku................. B3 Weather................ A6 Sports................... A4
Wednesday’s DAILY 3: 5-6-9 / Wednesday’s Midday 2-9-9