Domestic violence investigation leads to arrest and seizure of firearms

Early Monday morning, deputies from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call in Goleta after a woman reported that her partner, 41-year-old Patrick Kennedy, had threatened to kill her. 

Fearing for her safety, the victim fled the home on Avenida Gorrion before contacting law enforcement, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies arrived at the residence at approximately 5:48 a.m. and attempted to speak with Kennedy, who refused to come to the door and instead communicated through his Ring doorbell camera. 

Investigators later learned that Kennedy had spent the night handling firearms and was later seen walking around the neighborhood wearing a ski mask. The Sheriff’s Office also reported that Kennedy had made repeated and specific threats to kill the victim, had recently threatened a neighbor with a replica hand grenade, and kept loaded firearms both in his home and in the glove box of his vehicle.

At around 1:00 p.m., Kennedy exited the home and was ultimately taken into custody despite being uncooperative, officials said. He was booked at the Santa Barbara County Jail on multiple charges, including assault by strangulation, false imprisonment, domestic battery causing injury, criminal threats, felony child endangerment, and brandishing a firearm. Kennedy is being held with an enhanced bail of $500,000.

Later that afternoon, a judge authorized a search warrant for Kennedy’s residence. Deputies seized a large cache of weapons, including 10 rifles, one shotgun, four pistols, and thousands of rounds of ammunition. The Sheriff’s Office said the seizure reflected a careful investigation and helped remove a significant threat from the community.

The Sheriff’s Office encouraged anyone experiencing domestic violence to call 911 in an emergency or reach out to local organizations such as Standing Together to End Sexual Assault at (805) 564-3696 or Domestic Violence Solutions at (805) 964-5245 for confidential support.