A Santa Barbara man is behind bars after allegedly stealing several Christmas trees and wreaths from a local nursery, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies began investigating the theft on Monday after reports that multiple Christmas trees and wreaths had been stolen from a nursery on the 100 block of South Patterson Avenue near Goleta.
By Wednesday morning, deputies identified the suspect as 43-year-old Matthew Johnson of Santa Barbara.
Johnson was arrested at his home on the 4500 block of Oak Glen Drive. During the arrest, deputies recovered one of the stolen Christmas trees and two wreaths, officials said.
Johnson was booked into the Santa Barbara County Main Jail to await felony burglary charges. His bail was set at $20,000.
The recovered tree and wreaths have since been returned to the nursery.
