Deputies arrest Santa Maria man wanted for kidnapping, assault

A Santa Maria man wanted on multiple felony warrants including kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon was arrested Tuesday after a weeklong investigation, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s deputies initially made contact with 30-year-old Carlos Encinas on Oct. 24 while investigating a suspicious vehicle parked in the Tanglewood neighborhood in Santa Maria.

Encinas reportedly led authorities on a vehicle pursuit and “drove recklessly at a high rate of speed crossing into the opposite lane of traffic multiple times,” a news release from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said. The pursuit was terminated for safety reasons.

Officials learned during a follow-up investigation that Encinas was wanted on multiple felony warrants, including a $1 million warrant for kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats and stalking, the release said. The warrant reportedly stemmed from a 2015 domestic violence case handled by the Santa Maria Police Department.

Sheriff’s deputies served an arrest warrant at a residence in the 1900 block of Sandalwood Drive in Tanglewood where Encinas was believed to be staying on Tuesday.

Encinas attempted to flee the scene and assaulted a sheriff’s deputy before being taken into custody, the release said.

Encinas was arrested on suspicion of evading a peace officer, resisting a peace officer with force and outstanding warrants. He was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail.

This story was originally published November 3, 2017 at 5:38 PM with the headline "Deputies arrest Santa Maria man wanted for kidnapping, assault."