Golden State Today

In Santa Barbara, California, three individuals have been apprehended for a series of crimes they committed while hired to watch over a residence. The homeowner, who was away from the area, contacted deputies on Friday, May 3, 2024, suspecting that the house sitter they had employed to look after their dog and home was stealing from them.

During the investigation, deputies discovered that the primary suspect, Joshua Rademacher, a 30-year-old resident of Santa Barbara, had been hired by the victims based on a recommendation. However, Rademacher conspired with two other suspects - Brittany Silva (29) and Kyle Guilfoyle (36), both also residents of Santa Barbara - to steal property and credit from the victims.

The victims received a fraud alert from their credit card company followed by an alert of suspicious activity from their internet firewall. They promptly notified the Sheriff’s Office and provided valuable information leading to the arrest of the suspects.

Joshua Rademacher was arrested on May 4, 2024, for felonies including possession of a controlled substance while armed with a loaded firearm, possession of a controlled substance for sale, and conspiracy. He has since been released from jail.

Brittany Silva was arrested on May 3, 2024. She faces charges including burglary, possession of a controlled substance for sales, conspiracy, identity theft, possession of a controlled substance while armed with a loaded firearm, grand theft and credit card theft. Currently in custody with $150k bail set against her name.

Kyle Guilfoyle was arrested on May 6th under charges including burglary and identity theft as well as conspiracy. He was also booked for an outstanding misdemeanor warrant for possession of brass knuckles and charged with possession of methamphetamine and paraphernalia found upon his arrest. He has since been released from custody.

The dog that was in the care of these suspects remained unharmed and was released to a friend.

The Sheriff’s Office took this opportunity to emphasize the importance of cybersecurity, sharing additional tips with the public to help guard against instances of fraud and identity theft. These include staying informed about the latest scams, verifying sources, securing devices, using strong passwords, monitoring financial activity, securing Wi-Fi networks, updating firmware regularly, implementing network segmentation and enabling two-factor authentication. They also advised the public to report suspicious activity promptly to law enforcement and financial institutions.