CA Youth Pastor Arrested On Child Sex Charges

The Santa Barbara Independent reports:

Sheriff’s detectives arrested a Goleta man for several alleged felony child sex crimes on Friday, May 9. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is now “reaching out to the public to identify additional survivors and provide safety information for parents monitoring children’s social media,” it said in a statement on Monday.

Detectives identified Shaun Donald Hertlein, 42, as a suspect in a case regarding lewd images of children that they began investigating in April 2025. Authorities learned that Hertlein worked with children through his affiliation with South Coast Church in Goleta, as well as in his role as an assistant coach for freshman boys’ football at Dos Pueblos High School.

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The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office announced today the arrest of Shaun Donald Hertlein, 42-years-old of Goleta, for several felony child sex crimes. Hertlein is a youth pastor at SouthCoast Church and has been a football coach. https://t.co/hQJIySCMUA#edhat #SBnews

— Edhat (@Edhat) May 12, 2025

Sheriff’s detectives believe there could be additional survivors who may have had contact with suspect Shaun Donald Hertlein, 42, who worked with children at South Coast Church and Dos Pueblos High School.https://t.co/UQw2kmMPXk

— Santa Barbara Independent (@SBIndyNews) May 13, 2025