Oxnard Man Arrested and Charged in Connection with 2020 Sexual Assault After DNA Testing
Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced Friday that Jose Luis Meza Jr. of Oxnard has been charged with multiple sex crimes.
Her remains were found in 1991 in California. Her killer has finally been identified
A family now has closure 33 years after their loved one was found dead in California because authorities were able to use DNA and forensic evidence to find her killer, officials announced Tuesday.
Woodland Hills Man Convicted of Serial Assaults on Hikers & Sleeping Victims
Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced today that Edgar Rodriguez Ruelas (DOB 03/24/82), of Woodland Hills, was convicted by a jury on May 2, 2024, of five felony counts related to assaults on women in their homes or on hiking trails in Thousand Oaks and Oak Park. "Ruelas represents one of the more dangerous […]
Ventura County Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Receives Second Grant
Sheriff James Fryhoff and District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced today the award of a second $2.5 million grant from the United States Department of Justice in support of the Ventura County Sexual Assault Kit Initiative. The Sheriff’s Forensic Services Bureau, with assistance from the District Attorney’s Office, applied for this supplemental grant to further efforts […]
Backlogged Sexual Assault Kits to be Tested
Acorn reporter Makena Huey provides an overview of the Ventura County Sexual Assault Kit Initiative.
Thousands of Sexual Assault Kits, Some Decades Old, to get DNA Testing in Ventura County
Ventura County Star reporter Cheri Carlson provides an overview of the Ventura County Sexual Assault Kit Initiative.
Simi Valley Rape Suspect Charged After New DNA Evidence Surfaces
A Colorado man was arraigned Tuesday in Ventura County Superior Court on suspicion of raping multiple victims in Simi Valley and Los Angeles after newly gathered DNA evidence connected him to the cases, according to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office. Charles Edward Gaines III, 26, of Aurora, Colorado, was charged with seven different felony […]
Federal Grant will help clear backlog of sexual assault evidence kits
A federal grant will help Ventura County authorities clear a backlog of sexual assault evidence kits and launch a new cold-case unit.