Deputies catch fugitive who allegedly stabbed girlfriend in rural Santa Maria

May 29, 2024

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

Detectives last week caught a fugitive who allegedly stabbed his girlfriend in rural Santa Maria in Jan. 2023.

Shortly after 3 a.m. on Jan. 27, 2023,a caller reported an assault in the 2000 block of Sherwood Drive in the Tanglewood area. Deputies arrived at the scene to find a woman with several stab wounds to her upper torso, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.

Responders transported the victim to a hospital in the area. She suffered serious injuries but survived.

The suspect fled the scene before deputies arrived. Deputies quickly identified the suspect as the victim’s boyfriend, 23-year-old Jesus David Galvan Cuevas. 

In the days that followed the stabbing, detectives shared a photo of Cuevas and asked the public for help locating him. Over the course of a nearly 16-month investigation, detectives tracked Cuevas to a home in the Central Valley city of Reedley.

At about 9 a.m. on Friday, detectives arrested Cuevas on a no-bail warrant for attempted murder. Authorities transported Cuevas back to Santa Barbara County and attempted to book him in the Northern Branch Jail. 

During the booking process, Cuevas managed to escape from deputies by foot. However, deputies apprehended him within about 100 yards of the jail and booked him in the facility.

Cuevas is being held in jail without bail on felony charges including escape, vehicle theft and attempted murder.