[Updated: Mon., May 12, 4:25 p.m.]
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.
Dos Pueblos Principal Bill Woodard confirmed that Hertlein was employed as a walk-on assistant coach at DPHS, including last season (2024). However, “He is no longer coaching for SBUSD and has been informed that he should no longer be on campus or part of our programming as an assistant coach,” Woodard said.
The Santa Barbara Unified School District sent out a message to families on Monday, saying, “We are actively responding to this news as the safety and wellbeing of our students is of the utmost priority. All employees in Santa Barbara Unified School District go through a thorough background check.
“The District staff will be fully cooperating with the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office.
“We encourage anyone with additional information to contact school administration. As a reminder, all of our schools have mental health resources for students. Contact your school directly for a more detailed list of available support.”
Detectives arrested Hertlein on a warrant and booked him at the Main Jail for felonies including sending sexual images to a minor, electronic communication with a minor with intent to commit specific crimes, and possession of obscene images of a child. He remains in custody with bail set at $500,000.
Sheriff’s detectives believe there could be additional survivors who may have had contact with Hertlein. Detectives ask anyone with knowledge of additional crimes associated with Hertlein to contact Detective F. Arnoldi by phone at (805) 681-4150.
Anonymous tips can be submitted online at sbsheriff.org/home/anonymous-tip or by calling (805) 681-4171.
Hertlein’s arrest came just one day after another former employee of Dos Pueblos High School was arrested on May 8 for sexual battery on a woman that allegedly occurred during a post-prom party at the Bowlero bowling alley in Goleta the weekend prior. The suspect, 29-year-old Lompoc man Miguel “Michael” Angel Juarez, was familiar with the adult victim through his work as a special education paraeducator at Dos Pueblos High School, a position he resigned from shortly after school officials learned of the incident. Detectives believe there may be additional victims associated with Juarez, as well.
Advocates for survivors are available through the Victim-Witness Assistance Program at (805) 568-2400 or toll free at (805) 840-3232.
Services including a confidential 24-hour hotline, legal and medical advocacy and accompaniment, and counseling are available through community partner Standing Together to End Sexual Assault at (805) 564-3696.
The Sheriff’s Office shared the following safety tips for parents to protect their children online:
1. Stay Involved and Informed
Know what platforms, apps, and websites your child uses. Create your own accounts on these platforms and connect with your child when possible.
2. Set Clear Rules and Expectations
Establish household rules for screen time and acceptable online behavior. Make sure children understand that they should never share personal information or photos with people they don’t know. Children should never share intimate photos online with anyone.
3. Use Parental Controls and Privacy Settings
Activate parental controls on devices and apps. Adjust privacy settings to restrict who can contact your child, view their content, or follow them.
4. Have Ongoing, Open Conversations
Talk regularly with your child about their online experiences. Encourage them to come to you if someone makes them feel uncomfortable or asks them to keep a secret.
5. Watch for Red Flags
Be alert for warning signs, such as sudden secrecy, changes in mood, or use of new apps you didn’t authorize. Be especially cautious if your child is chatting with someone who encourages them to move to another app or private messaging platform.
6. Guard Against Platform Hopping
Predators often build trust on mainstream platforms and then push children to riskier apps with less oversight — such as encrypted chat services, anonymous forums, or video chat rooms. Know the signs and discourage use of unfamiliar or unsupervised apps.
7. Report Suspicious Activity
If you believe your child is being targeted or exploited online, report it to your local law enforcement agency immediately.
