Pantless UCSB student attacks IV pastor
He is scheduled to be arraigned today
A UCSB student is currently in custody at the Santa Barbara County Jail after attacking a local Isla Vista pastor at his home on the 6800 block of Fortuna Road. The assault occurred on the morning of May 7, 2016.
At around 2:15 a.m. on March 7, 2016, local IV Pastor Father Jon-Stephen Hedges, also known as Father Jon, was attacked outside of his home by 22-year-old UCSB student Paul Gusman.
Photo courtesy of Santa Barbara Police
According to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, Father Jon heard a knock at his front door and a male voice yelling for help. Gusman was said to be throwing his body against the front door, when Father Jon, who believed someone was in urgent need of help, opened the door.
Gusman, who was naked from the waist down, forced his way into Father Jon’s home and began punching him in the face. He allegedly hit Father Jon on the face more than 30 times.
Father Jon’s wife was also struck on her right hand but managed to dial 9-1-1.
Sheriff’s deputies from the Isla Vista Foot patrol arrived and found Gusman standing in the front yard, possibly intoxicated and under the influence of a controlled substance. He was arrested and treated at a local hospital for an injury from the attack.
The incident happened on the 6800 block of Fortuna Road
According the release, Gusman was later booked at the Santa Barbara County Jail on charges of assault upon a person with force likely to produce great bodily injury, residential burglary, elder abuse and dissuading a witness/victim. He is scheduled to be arraigned on May 10 and is being held on $500,000 bail.
Father Jon was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. He is an assistant pastor at St. Athanasius Orthodox Church and a volunteer Chaplain with the Santa Barbara Country Sheriff’s Office. Father Jon is also a UCSB graduate and has lived in IV since 1968.
Paul Gusman is a third year student at UCSB. Preliminary indications say that the attack was random and Gusman was not acquainted with Father Jon prior to the incident. The assault is still under investigation.